At Station No. 3, A
By M.J. McAteer
t Middleburg Fire Station No. 3, every day is the same but different. Set-in-stone routine can, at any moment, be shattered by adrenalinespiking emergencies or by requests for more mundane assistance, such as getting the cliched cat out of a tree.
Since restructuring in 2015 to move away from volunteer staffing, six professional firefighters are always on duty to provide Middleburg and other parts of Western Loudoun with any and all requests for fire and rescue services.
Helping Families and Friends Honor Their Loved One 106 E. Washington St. P.o. Box 163 Middleburg, VA 20118 540-687-5400 FAX 540-687-3727 4125 Rectortown Rd P.O. Box 111 Marshall, VA 20116 540-364-1731
Jeffrey Garner, who started out volunteering at a fire station at age 14 and now has 33 years of service, is the station captain, and he explained the usual routine at Station No. 3. On arrival at 6 a.m. for a shift that lasts until 6 a.m. the next day, the first order of business is, without fail, sorting out equipment. Firefighters put their flameresistant pants, coats and helmets on the various “apparatus”--Middleburg has a fire engine, a brush truck, a tanker and an advanced-life support ambulance--the better to meet the mandate that they be able to clear the fire station within two minutes of a call. Next, they inspect their various vehicles to ensure they are in perfect working order. Station No. 3 keeps its apparatus sparkling clean even though the back roads in its service area can be a muddy mess. Once assured that all the equipment is ready to roll, like so many members of today’s working world, the fire crew members disperse to check emails before gathering for a communal breakfast. Twenty-four hour shifts mean firefighters eat three meals while on duty, but the county doesn’t provide the food. Instead, crews generally chip into a kitty and stock up on supplies for a 90 days at a time. “We try to eat as healthy as we can,” Garner said.
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The rest of the day is spent on training, mostly on-line, but one firefighter is constructing a maze on the station’s mezzanine. The crew will then turn out the lights and practice maneuvering in a dark and confined space that mimics conditions that might be encountered at a fire.
Go Green Middleburg | Winter 2021
