3 minute read
A Fire Station That Responds to Any Challenge
A Fire Station That Responds to Any Challenge
By Peyton Tochterman
When the Middleburg Volunteer Fire Department was incorporated in 1936, it was a single-truck operation covering the Route 50 corridor from Paris Mountain to Chantilly.
In the 1950s, this small but committed crew received its first ambulance, transforming it into a dual-purpose fire and rescue operation. Nearly 90 years later, Middleburg’s Station 3 stands as a fully staffed, state-of-the-art facility that serves its community 24/7, and every day of the year.
“This town’s changed, and so have we,” said Loudon County Fire Chief Keith Johnson, a fourth-generation fireman with over 30 years in the field who joined Middleburg a decade ago after working in Fairfax County.
The transformation from a volunteer service to a fully staffed, county-supported station has been a game-changer for response times, training, and service delivery, Johnson said. In 2015, Middleburg legally dissolved its corporation, handing assets to Loudoun County and integrating into the countywide fire and rescue framework.
Station 3, located just off Route 50, is equipped with an impressive array of vehicles—a fire engine, tanker, brush truck, and an advanced life support ambulance.
With no need for volunteer responders to arrive from home, the station now boasts significantly faster response times, benefiting from career personnel on site around the clock.
Community engagement remains a key priority.
“We’re in the field eight months of the year conducting smoke alarm and safety assessments,” Johnson said. “Not only in Middleburg but across the county.”
The department offers smoke alarms specifically for the hearing impaired and performs free fire safety checks, recognizing the heightened risk in a region dotted with old homes, expansive farms, and new residential areas.
“The number one safest defense in a fire is your fire alarms,” Johnson sad. “Make an appointment through our website, and we’ll do a free site visit and make your home safer.”
The training regimen at Station 3 reflects its robust role in a community that presents unique challenges. Firefighters undergo rigorous training that goes beyond the basics; each member is also a certified EMT, and many pursue advanced certifications, from technical rescues to hazardous materials handling. The department’s shift to using vast amounts of water to extinguish lithium-ion battery fires—an emerging threat from electric cars, e-bikes and power tools— underscores the team’s commitment to embracing new safety protocols.
They also collaborate closely with nearby departments, benefiting from automatic aid agreements with neighboring Fairfax, Fauquier and Clark counties.
“We cover each other as if there’s no boundary line,” Johnson said, recalling a particularly intense February blaze at a Middleburg antique shop—one of the town’s oldest structures—that required coordination across county lines. “It’s these partnerships that make us all stronger.”
With an uptick in wildfires, sparked by increasingly dry conditions in western Loudoun, the station preplans for rapid deployment to protect land and life.
Johnson also emphasized the station’s commitment to the ongoing education of the public, urging rural homeowners to ensure their driveways are accessible for large vehicles.
“If we can’t get our trucks close enough, we can’t help you,” he said, adding that residents should make sure driveways are clear of overhanging branches and are wide enough, at least ten feet, to ensure that the fire department can reach your structure or house.
As Middleburg continues to grow, Station 3 adapts, always prepared for what’s next. It stands as a thoroughly modern institution rooted in nearly a century of service to a community it’s proud to protect.
