Loudoun County Lansdowne Public Safety Center

August 30, 2009
By Mike Sanders

The new Lansdowne Public Safety Center in Loudoun County, Virginia is the county's newest fire and rescue station and opened August 6, 2009. Located just off of Route 7 close to Loudoun Hospital, the Lansdowne station is a partnership between the Ashburn Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department and the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management.

Fire Station 22 is a 13,000 square foot facility located on just less than 2.5 acres. In addition to a fire and rescue facility, it also is a satellite office for the Loudoun County Sheriffs office. Some of the features of the new facility include three drive thru apparatus bays, bunk rooms, restrooms/showers, kitchen, training room, laundry, gear room, breathing apparatus air compressor room, and decontamination areas.

Staffing at the station includes both volunteers and career staff. The career staff is on duty from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days a week and there is a total of ten career staff assigned with two shifts. Also housed at Fire Station 22 is Battalion Chief 601. Ashburn volunteers handle staffing from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and can also assist career staffing. Fire Station 22's first call was for an unknown medical situation handled by the ambulance.

Ashburn transferred apparatus from Moorefield Fire Station 23 to Fire Station 22 in Lansdowne when the new station opened. As a result, Moorefield Station 23 is now fully staffed by the county. Transferred apparatus include two engines and two ambulances.

Engine 622 is a 2003 Spartan Gladiator/Ferrara equipped with a 1500/500 and is one of two purchased by Ashburn (the other is assigned to Station 6 in Ashburn). Reserve Engine 622 is a similar engine purchased in 2005 and is also one of two in service in Ashburn. Engine 622 previously ran as Engine 623 in Moorefield and Reserve Engine 622 previously ran as Reserve Engine 623 in Moorefield.

Two ambulances are assigned to Lansdowne Fire Station 22. Depending on staffing, they run either as an ambulance or medic. 622-1 is a 2002 Ford F350 4×4 built by Excellance that was formally 623-1. 622-2 is a 2008 Ford F450 4×4, also built by Excellance, and is one of two owned by Ashburn.

Battalion Chief 601 also has his offices at Fire Station 22 and is a county owned 2007 Chevrolet Suburban.

Fire Station 22 is an excellent example of the cooperation between Loudoun County and the Ashburn Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department to provide fire and EMS service to an area that continues to grow and have more and more emergency calls.