Fire Rescue Operations

Fire and Rescue Operations is comprised of the men and women who staff our fire and rescue stations to respond to a wide array of incidents occurring in Augusta County.  The Operations Division includes the career and volunteer members who work side by side to serve our citizens.

Augusta County Fire Rescue provides emergency and non-emergency services through a mutual partnership between our volunteer agencies and our career staff.

• Deerfield Valley Volunteer Fire Department – Station 2
• Middlebrook Volunteer Fire Department – Station 3
• Churchville Volunteer Fire Department and First Aid Crew – Station 4
• Staunton Augusta Rescue Squad – Rescue 5
• Weyers Cave Volunteer Fire Department – Station 5
• Stuarts Draft Rescue Squad – Rescue 6
• Verona Volunteer Fire Company – Station 6
• Stuarts Draft Volunteer Fire Company – Station 7
• Craigsville Volunteer Fire Department – Station 8
• Dooms Volunteer Fire Company – Station 9
• Augusta County Fire Rescue – Station 10
• Preston L. Yancey (ACFR) – Station 11
• Swoope Volunteer Fire Company – Station 14
• Craigsville – Augusta Springs (ACFR) – Rescue 16
• New Hope Volunteer Fire Department – Station 18
• Wilson Volunteer Fire Company – Station 19
• Mt. Solon Volunteer Fire & Rescue Squad – Station 21
• Riverheads Volunteer Fire Department – Station 25
• Weyers Cave Rescue – Rescue 26

The Operations Division of the Department provides many of the traditional services that are associated with the Department.  Many of our career and volunteer personnel are trained to provide multiple services. 

• Fire Suppression – The control and extinguishment of hostile fires.  Augusta County Fire Rescue is trained to respond to structural fires, wildland fires, and other similar events.  Our units are divided into “companies”, each of which utilize special equipment and training. 

o   Engine Company – Carry water, hose, and ladders.  Primary responsibility is to stretch hoselines and extinguish the fire.

o   Truck Company – Carry ladders, special tools, and have a fixed ladder with a typical reach of 75 to 100 feet.  Primary responsibility is to provide forcible entry, search & rescue, ventilation, ladders, property salvage, and overhaul during suppression operations.

o   Rescue Company – Carry advanced rescue equipment such as hydraulic vehicle extrication tools, rope rescue, water rescue, trench rescue, and confined space rescue.  ACFR Squad 10 is also part of the Virginia Region 2 Technical Rescue Team (TRT).  TRT members complete advanced training in technical rescue and may respond outside our area to assist with complex rescues.

o   Tanker or Tender – A tanker or tender is a mobile water transfer unit.  They are capable of carrying up to 3,000 gallons of water per load for large fires or in areas that do not have access to a municipal water system equipped with fire hydrants.

o   Brush Unit – A brush truck is a 4-wheel drive unit that can access off-road areas during wildland fires.  They typically are equipped with a small water tank (100-250) and a small pump.  Brush units are vital during times of wildland fire activity for fire containment and structure protection in hard to access areas of Augusta County.

o   Command – A command unit is often an SUV type vehicle that is used by the Duty Officer (DO) to respond to the emergency.  The DO or Incident Commander (IC) is responsible to provide coordination and management of on-scene resources.    The Command unit is equipped with communications resources and technical information that will aid the IC to safety coordinate on-scene resources and make accurate decisions.  A primary role of the DO / IC is to develop and implement the Incident Action Plan (IAP) that communicates incident priorities and assigns duties to responding units.

o   Support – Support units are often pickup trucks or SUV’s that can transport personnel and/or equipment to and from the incident scene.  

• Emergency Medical Services – Prehospital EMS includes basic life support (BLS) up to advanced life support (ALS) paramedics.  All EMS personnel and equipment must conform to the regulations promulgated by the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services.

o   Quick Response Unit – Responds to medical emergencies with trained personnel and equipment.  This unit does not have the capability to transport a patient to the hospital.

o   BLS Transport Unit – The BLS unit is staffed and equipped to provide Basic Life Support.  This will include immediate life-saving interventions that are non-invasive such as oxygen therapy and defibrillation.  The unit is capable of transporting the patient to the closest appropriate medical facility.

o   Trauma Unit – The Trauma unit is staffed and equipped with trained personnel and equipment to provide intermediate care above the BLS level.  This would include IV therapy, some advanced airway techniques, defibrillation, and limited medications approved by the medical director.  The trauma unit is authorized to transport.

o   Medic Unit – The Medic unit is staffed and equipped to the highest level outside the hospital.  The paramedic is trained in many advanced life-saving skills that include advanced airways, advanced IV access & administration, and is authorized to administer a broader scope of pharmaceutical interventions.

o   EMS Supervisor – Each shift is staffed with an EMS Supervisor who is a Paramedic.  The EMS Supervisor responds to assist for any incident deemed immediately life threatening.  The EMS Supervisor also responds to any complex incidents in support of the Incident Commander and may be assigned a support role within the Incident Command System.

•  Hazardous Materials Mitigation – Many chemicals exist in our world and when they get out of their container pose a risk to life, property, and the environment.  The ACFR Hazardous Materials Response Team is trained to respond to a wide array of chemical and technological threats.  The ACFR HazMat team serves as a regional response team for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM).  The ACFR HazMat team responds to traffic crashes that involve chemical spills, releases of chemicals at a fixed facility, or other incidents where chemicals may be involved.  The HazMat team is also trained to support mass decontamination after a threatened or actual act of terrorism.  

• Technical Rescue Team (TRT) – Augusta County Fire Rescue is one of the agencies that comprises the Virginia Region 2 Technical Rescue Team.  TRT members are trained to respond to and manage specialized rescue incidents including complex vehicle rescues, trench rescues, confined space rescues, high-angle rope rescues, water rescues, and structural collapse rescues.  Other agencies in the Shenandoah Valley who participate with the Region 2 TRT are Staunton, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, and Rockingham County.