Membership

Dear Neighbor,

Whether you are one of our new neighbors or have enjoyed the quality of life here in the Town of Leesburg or Loudoun County area for awhile, we at the Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad would like to introduce ourselves to you and get to know you.

The Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad (LCVRS) is one of seventeen independent volunteer fire and rescue companies that provide high caliber fire and rescue services to the citizens and visitors to Loudoun County . The LCVRS is Loudoun County’s Company 13 and has served the area since 1952.

Company 13 is located at 143 Catoctin Circle SE, Leesburg, VA 20175. With four ambulances, two Rescue Boats, a Heavy Rescue Squad, and Bicycles for various events, supported by various staff, command and service vehicles, Company 13 rendered service over 4,000 times last year. Volunteer staff run seven days a week from 6:00 p.pm. to 6:00 a.m. along with Saturdays and Sundays. Highly skilled Career Paramedics  from the Loudoun County Department of Fire and Rescue staff the station every day, seven days per week, providing medical and rescue coverage. The Paramedics also provide regional Emergency Medical Service to the citizens and visitors in nearby Leesburg, Potomac Station, Exiter and other communities.

Funding is received through both county and town contributions. Many private donations are received and fundraisers are held to supplement these resources. The annual budget is about $700,000 to support the station, apparatus, and service delivery. It is estimated that by using volunteers, savings of at least $500,000 is realized just in the Town of Leesburg each year.

To continue to provide effective, efficient, and economical service we need your assistance. Unlike many volunteer organizations, we are not looking to you for financial contributions, but rather we need you for hands-on involvement with the community. We would like you to help us help you by joining the Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad.

What help can I give?

We are looking for any able bodied individual over the age of 16 who is looking for a challenging way to help the community. Certainly, if you have previous fire/rescue experience, we would be glad to “put you to work.” If you do not have the training, we will provide it for you at no charge.

For those of you who may not wish to actively deliver fire/rescue service, there are numerous opportunities to use your skills in administrative, maintenance, support, rehab, public relations and educational roles. Whatever your talents are, we can and will use them to enhance our operations.

What attribute do I need to join?

Only the strong desire to better your community. We, through Loudoun County (and occasionally Prince William, Fauquier, and Fairfax Counties) provide all necessary training. Training ranges from basic required training (detailed later) to the most advanced, high-tech training available in the fire and rescue service. All of these skills are learned free of charge to you and are kept for a lifetime.

As previously stated, if you already have fire and rescue experience, we will be able to customize a training regiment for you that allows you to become an immediately functioning and contributing member of the team. All uniforms, personal protective gear, equipment, and insurance is provided by the company.

How much time must I commit?

The quality of the service provided is equal to the effort put forth to gain the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver that service. The citizens of Loudoun County expect high caliber fire and rescue service, and all hands in the service have committed to deliver high quality service. The only way to do this is through the establishment of rigorous standards which require constant training and re-training.

We will not kid you, the time commitment is substantial and is the biggest single challenge facing the volunteer system. With your assistance the time commitment per individual can be lower because it only stands to reason that the more people you have to do a task, the less effort each individual has to put into it, without the efforts of the team suffering.

Company 13 has established a 48-hour minimum monthly commitment to receive the benefits to be described later. In reality, a neighbor volunteering for duty with Company 13 should be prepared to devote one twelve (12) hour night per week (6:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.) and one 12 hour duty shift on one Saturday (6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.) every eight weeks. This equates to approximately 60 hours per month of volunteer service to adequately staff units. Fortunately, a good number of the team members at Company 13 are already meeting, and in some cases are greatly exceeding these figures, simply because they enjoy serving the community.

As the community and company grow, the demands for service increase. While this may seem to be a problem, most members actually enjoy the additional opportunity to practice their skills to the benefit of the community.

At this time, we have decided to embark on an aggressive recruiting campaign in order to be ahead of the growth curve. Presently, we have seven duty crews (some of which are only partially filled) which essentially means that members sometimes have to run more than one night per week. Our goal is to increase the membership rolls to the point where we have twelve people per night, nine to fully staff three ambulances and at least three for the heavy rescue squad. This can be advantageous in one of several ways. It will allow team members more time for work, family, or other endeavors. It will allow us to staff more units at any given time. Finally, as the community grows, additional stations will be needed. Consequently, by recruiting and training now, we will be able to provide trained, competent and experienced crews for these new stations.

This leads us to outline some of the training requirements that all new members have to meet.

Initial Orientation – All new members must attend our orientation meeting, and earn their Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certificate. These meetings are offered on the 1st Saturday of the month. Each class runs from 4 to 8 hours and is a pre-requisite to all other training classes and to ride the Apparatus. Of course, applicants who already have these certifications are not required to attend the latter half of the class as that is reserved for the CPR Training.

In-House Training – Each new member is responsible to become familiar with the apparatus, equipment, functions, operations, rules, regulations and procedures of Fire and Rescue. This training is our “Probationary” time. There will be a “Probationary” handbook handed out at the orientation meeting. The Probationary member has six (6) months to complete this workbook and can usually be completed on the evenings that you run duty with help from your duty crew.

Basic Training – Members must earn (within a year of joining) and maintain the following certifications. Some exceptions may be made by the Chief or President for special circumstances. The items marked with an asterisk (*) are also required of administrative members.

• Training: Members must take a minimum of 8 classes or in-house training sessions per year.
• Hours: Members must log the appropriate number of hours (as determined by type of membership) each month.*
• Meetings: Members are expected to attend a minimum of 8 squad membership meetings per year. Special arrangements may be made by the President for extraordinary situations.*
• Basic Life Support (CPR) for Healthcare Providers (or equivalent)*
• Blood Borne Pathogens and Infectious Disease Control*
• Hazardous Materials Operations (or higher)
• First Responder/Emergency Medical Technician – Basic (or higher)
• Loudoun County AED/Combitube Certification
• Academics: Junior members must maintain a “C” average and not be failing any courses.*

The Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class is about 120 hours long and taught week nights and weekends at the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Training Facility. Occasionally, members are allowed to attend these classes in Prince William, or Fauquier Counties if it is more convenient to the applicant and space is available in the adjoining jurisdiction. In concluding the EMT class, the member will be proficient in Basic Life Support, including BLS protocols, and Automatic External Defibrillation.

After completion of the basic classes, all hands are encouraged to further their training either in the opposite track (EMS for firefighters or firefighting for EMS persons) or expand their horizons in their chosen field. This includes becoming a Driver/Operator, Instructor, EMT – Enhanced, EMT Intermediate or Heavy Tactical Rescuer. All this training is made available free of charge to the team members and scheduled as much as practical to meet the time constraints for the team member.

What rewards are available?

After committing so much time, it only stands to reason that a team member should receive some sort of reward.

In addition to the general benefits of membership, there are a number of benefits that are based on “Points”. These points are earned through a variety of activities with a minimum of 80 points required per year to be eligible for service based benefits. Some of the service based benefits are:

• Vehicle Property Tax: Residents of Loudoun County may qualify to have the personal property tax eliminated on one privately owned vehicle.
• Free County Vehicle Sticker: Depending on where you live, residents of Loudoun County may qualify for a free vehicle decal on one privately owned vehicle.
• Retirement Benefits

The intangible rewards are no doubt greater. You will have the opportunity to form new bonds with team members and the community. You will have the chance to be a leader in the company and community. Also, imagine the feeling you will have when you “make a difference” to a neighbor who calls you in their time of need. There is no greater feeling that to arrive on the scene of an emergency situation, where someone is in need of expert care and you are able to use your training, skills and knowledge to abate an emergency, returning normalcy to a very bad situation in the lives of one of our neighbors.

Now that I am ready, what do I need to do to join?

Simply fill out an application and return it to any member at the station. You will be contacted shortly thereafter by a member of the Membership Committee, who will arrange for an introductory interview. On the first Wednesday of each month, a Company Meeting is held where new members are accepted to Company 13. A pretty easy process to become involved with what can be a lifetime of service, excitement, fun and satisfaction in giving something back to the community.

Should you have questions, please contact any member of the Membership Committee, or Officer or any member at the station by stopping by or by calling 703-777-7185.

YOUR NEIGHBORS NEED US, WE NEED YOU AND WE WANT YOU TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE COMPANY 13 TEAM TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY SO OTHERS MAY LIVE!