Welcome to the RHVFRD Website

 

Make a Difference in Your Community

Join the Round Hill Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department Board

Are you committed to fire safety and looking to make a meaningful impact in your community? The Round Hill Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department (RHVFRD) invites you to step forward and serve as a Citizen Board Member. We are on the lookout for two dynamic individuals eager to contribute to the strategic direction and success of our organization.

Who We're Looking For

Community Advocates: If you're passionate about the welfare of our community and have a keen interest in fire safety, you’re the perfect fit.		Eligibility: You must live in Round Hill or its immediate vicinity. We value local insights and commitment.
	Commitment: Citizen Board Members serve for a term of three years, primarily participating in monthly board meetings to make decisions critical to our operations and community service.

***********************************************************

Roles & Responsibilities

• As a Citizen Board Member, you’ll have a significant role in guiding our future, making decisions that directly impact our operations and community services.
• Your voice will matter. With full voting rights, you'll influence key decisions and policies.
• Engage with the community and fellow members during full member meetings, fostering stronger connections and collaboration.

***********************************************************

Why Join Us?

		Impact: Directly contributes to the safety and well-being of Round Hill, shaping the services we provide.
	Insight: Gain a deeper understanding of fire service operations and community safety strategies.
	Community: Be part of a dedicated team that values service, leadership, and collaboration.

***********************************************************

Interested?

We welcome your enthusiasm and insight. For more details or to express your interest, please reach out to us at info@roundhillvfd.org.

Seeking a More Direct Role?

If you’re inclined towards an operational or administrative position, we’re eager to have you on board as well. Your skills and dedication can help us make an even greater impact.

Join the RHVFRD Board Today – Your Community Needs You!

 

Home Explosion Incident Update

Fire Marshal's Permit Resumption of Propane Delivery

The Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Fire Marshal's Office (LCFR-FMO) investigation into the origin and cause of the home explosion that occurred on February 16, 2024, at 347 Silver Ridge Drive in Sterling remains ongoing. LCFR–FMO has been working directly with representatives from Southern States Cooperative, Inc. – Leesburg – Fairfax Petroleum Service (“Southern States”) to review and update the company's fire code related information. On March 12, 2024, the LCFR-FMO placed a temporary restriction on “Southern States”, prohibiting the delivery or transfer of propane within Loudoun County, Virginia, and the incorporated Towns within the County. Necessary fire prevention code-related information has been updated and effective immediately, the LCFR-FMO has lifted the recent restrictions issued to “Southern States” and regular propane delivery is expected to resume on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.

The incident will remain under investigation until further notice. The LCFR-FMO will continue to work with Southern States throughout the remainder of the investigation process. The official cause classification will be communicated when the investigation is complete.

 

Important Spring-Cleaning Safety Tips

As warmer weather approaches, it is a perfect opportunity to tackle spring cleaning and projects around the house. As you clean, please remember some important safety recommendations from the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System.

Around the house

• Test and clean smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. We recommend testing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors monthly and changing batteries regularly. If your smoke alarms are not working properly, call our smoke alarm program hotline at 703-737-8093 or visit Smoke Alarm Program website.
• Make sure all exits around the home and escape routes are clear of debris and are easily accessible.
• Reduce clutter in and around your home! Clear at least a three-foot space around your electrical panel, furnace, hot water heater, fireplace, space heaters and dryer.
• Have furnaces, chimneys and air conditioning units cleaned and inspected by a licensed professional.
• Check electrical outlets, extension cords and power strips to ensure they’re appropriately sized and are not overloaded. Remember, cords stretched across the floor can be a trip hazard!
• Store all cleaning products, household chemicals, paints, and poisons in properly marked containers safely out of children’s reach.
• If you smoke outside, use only an appropriate container for properly discarding smoking materials. Use a metal or ceramic pot filled with sand or water. NEVER use a container filled with soil or plants OR one made of anything flammable!
• Place smoking receptacles away from the house. NEVER place containers on the porch, deck, or just outside the door. Hot embers can smolder for days!
• Ensure all unused, unwanted, or expired medications are disposed of properly to prevent improper use and accidental exposure. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office has drug collection units available at several locations throughout the County. Visit their website for a full list of collection locations and other disposal options.
• Loudoun County hosts numerous Household Hazardous Waste events each year for residents to safely dispose of used and unwanted household hazardous materials. View a list of events and acceptable items.

For an electronic and mobile friendly spring-cleaning safety checklist, visit SafeWise. Get additional fire prevention and life safety information by calling the Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office at 703-737-8600 or visiting About the Fire Marshal website.

 

2023 By The Numbers - Station Summary

Round Hill Volunteers put in many hours to help the community last year. By the end of 2023, our 51 active Administrative and Operational members volunteered 17,979.24 hours of their spare time. The 18 Operational members spent a total of 8892.45 hours on duty, where 1,133.65 of those hours were spent answering live calls.

There were also 33 Administrative members who recorded time in 2023. Combined, all volunteers spent an additional 9,086.79 hours running the company to provide the highest quality service possible. These hours included fund raising activities, operational training, membership and committee meetings, public education, facilities and vehicle maintenance, accounting, recruiting, personnel management, records management, and the thousands of other things needed to keep our company ready to answer your calls for help.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can join this incredible group of people and help your family, friends, and neighbors at the same time, please visit our Join page and contact our recruiting team.

 

Sparky's Message - Never give a fire a place to start!

Sparky the Fire Dog®, the official mascot of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), celebrated his 70th birthday back in March of 2021, reflecting on a legacy and impact that spans the generations. As the iconic mascot, Sparky has worked hard for seven decades to make communities safe from fire.

“Since 1951, he has partnered with fire professionals, teachers, civic organizations, corporations, and the media to deliver invaluable fire and life safety educational messages to children and adults alike,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA.

Over the years, Sparky has used a multitude of educational techniques, including books, tip sheets, online resources, videos, apps, and NFPA’s national public safety campaign, Fire Prevention Week, to share important safety messages like “Stop, drop, and roll ”, “Get out, stay out ”, “Dial 9-1-1 ”, and “Know two ways out.” His dogged determination has ultimately helped reduce fire loss and injuries in North America.

Visit these links to find out more about Sparky and what he has meant to the NFPA, Sparky's home page with all kinds of games, videos, and other fun things for kids and adults alike, and the Sparky School House with more fun things to learn about Sparky and what he teaches about fire safety and prevention.

 

Free Smoke Alarm Assessments

LC-CFRS Kicking Off Annual Smoke Alarm Program to Protect Loudoun Residents

The Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System’s (LC-CFRS) annual smoke alarm program kicks off Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in neighborhoods across Loudoun County.

“During a house fire, you have an average of THREE minutes to escape your home,” said Fire Chief Keith Johnson. “Smoke Alarms provide you precious time to escape and reduce the risk of dying in a fire by half!”

As part of our annual smoke alarm program, firefighters from stations across Loudoun County are taking a hands-on approach to fire safety by canvasing neighborhoods one weekend a month from April to October. Our first responders will go door to door between 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. offering free smoke alarm assessments and valuable information about fire safety and home escape planning. During the assessment, firefighters will test existing smoke alarms, assist with battery replacement, and replace the smoke alarms at no cost if they are not working properly or exceed the ten-year recommended lifespan.

In addition to the scheduled smoke alarm canvasses through October, Loudoun residents can request a free smoke alarm assessment at any time by completing the online form on the Loudoun County Smoke Alarm Program website (click the “Request a Smoke Alarm Assessment” bell) or by calling the smoke alarm program hotline at 703-737-8093.

 

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Carbon monoxide, also known as CO, is called the Invisible Killer because it's a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 150 people in the Unites States die every year from accidental nonfire-related CO poisoning associated with consumer products, including generators. Other products include faulty, improperly-used or incorrectly-vented fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, stoves, water heaters and fireplaces.

Install CO alarms in a central location outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of your home to provide early warning of CO and keep your family safe.

 

Loudoun County Health COVID Updates

Visit the Loudoun County Health and Human Services website for instructions on how to receive updates about COVID-19, contact information for the Health Department in Loudoun County, and many other pandemic related details.

 

The RHVFRD Seeks New Members

The RHVFRD is not just a volunteer station, as you would think based on our title. It’s what is referred to as a combination fire department. Meaning, our fire department consists of both full-time career staff and volunteer members.

The career staff is assigned to our station through Loudoun County and handles all aspects of daily operations. This includes, but is not limited to, equipment checks, basic station maintenance, and other such general tasks, as well as responding to the numerous calls that occur in our coverage area. They don’t answer to the volunteer chain of command, but they do help by informing us of station problems, repairs needed, supplies and equipment needed, and so on. As you can see, our career staff is an integral part of the station due to the small number of volunteers we have to man it on a 24/7 schedule. Mainly since most of our volunteer members have full-time careers preventing them from responding to calls during normal business hours. So even though we have assigned career staff, the station belongs to the volunteers. Hence our title as a volunteer fire department.

As you can see, this is why we continually work on recruiting new volunteer members. We may have a full-time career staff to support our community, but we need volunteers to help keep the station running and depend on our volunteers to keep our community safe.

We are always seeking volunteer members for the following:

• Operational - Firefighters
• Operational - Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT)
• Operational - Ambulance or Utility Drivers
• Non-Operational - Administrative:
• Fundraising: Are you good with reaching out to organizations and businesses and raising money? If so, we could use your skills for pulling together our flower sales, our annual community donation letter, as well as other events you deem would be of interest to the town that would raise money for the Station.
• Analytical: We need your skills to analyze and update existing documentation such as our By-laws, Charter, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Special Events Coordinator: The Station is frequently called upon to provide support to local fireworks displays, Appalachian Trail Day, EMT support for 5K, 10K races, Dinner with Santa, Round Hill Days, annual Volunteer Banquet and other special happenings nearby. This takes skills in organization, communication, dealing with all levels of bureaucracy and attention to detail.
• Grant Writer: We are always looking for ways to increase our financial resources and there are many, many grants available and we need to right person to inquire with the various outlets, work with various Station members on what is needed and submit all the required documentation.
• Accounting: We are looking for someone with these skills to fill the Board Treasurer position. You would keep track of all the investments and bank accounts.
• Maintenance: If you're skilled in electrical, plumbing, heating, standard improvements and vehicle maintenance, these skills could be used to help manage of our Station's equipment and vehicle needs, and work with the County on resources and planning for the new Fire Station.
• Logistical: If you have a background in acquisition, we are could use your skills in purchasing and maintaining Station's Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), Station clothing and swag.
• Recruitment: Have you worked in Human Resources and/or Recruiting. Do you have the organization and personality to talk to, work with, guide, correspond and follow up with potential volunteers to get them on-board, through the County Orientation and back to Station for swearing in? Then those skills are needed.
• Technical: Do you have experience in system administration, technical acquisition, web development, then we could always use these skills to maintain or develop web pages, databases and suggesting what technical advances the Station could utilize.

If you would like to volunteer for any of these positions and receive the benefits volunteering has to offer, go to the Join page and complete our volunteer application.

 

Can't Volunteer?

There are other ways you can "Help Us, Help The Community!"

We realize that many folks can't volunteer their time due to other commitments - jobs, family, vacations, and a schedule full of activities. However, there is another way you can help.

Please consider making a monetary donation to the RHVFRD. Funds are needed for ongoing maintenance of the building, vehicles and equipment, and for ordering supplies used on fire and rescue calls. Any donation you wish to give will help provide emergency services to your community with the best quality service we can give!

To donate online or by mail, please refer to the donation information located at the top-left of each page.

 

Our Location

The RHVFRD in Round Hill is 12 miles West of Leesburg, VA and 23 miles East of Winchester, VA.

*** FYI: The RHVFRD is not the Round Hill Community Fire and Rescue Company in Winchester Virginia ***

 

Our Tribute to the Fallen

 

Your feedback is important to us!  Feel free to sign the guestbook.