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.

Round Hill Volunteers put in many hours to help the community last year. The 16 Operational members spent 5406 hours on duty. Of that time 636 hours were spent answering calls. The average operational volunteer spent about 337 hours on duty.

There were also 20 Administrative members who recorded time in 2022. Combined, these 36 volunteers spent an additional 5896 hours running the company and training to provide the highest quality service possible. These hours include 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.

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.

Be safe when heating your home in the winter. Heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires during the months of December, January and February. Winter storms can also interrupt electrical service, causing people to turn to alternative heating sources, further increasing the risk of fire.

The National Fire Protection Associations latest data shows that in one year, heating equipment was involved in an estimated 57,100 U.S. home structure fires, resulting in 490 civilian deaths, 1,540 civilian injuries, and $1.1 billion in property damage. By following these fire prevention measures, you can greatly reduce the risk of fire in your home and enjoy a safe winter season.

• Keep children and combustibles at least three feet away from all heating equipment, stoves and fireplaces.
• If you use an electric heater do not overload the circuit. Choose an extension cord the same size or larger than the appliance electrical cord.
• Always remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Make sure your fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room.
• Before going to sleep, ensure the fire in your fireplace is completely extinguished. Never close the fireplace damper if hot ashes remain in the fireplace. The fire may reheat and force toxic carbon monoxide into your house.
• Always let ashes cool before putting them in a closed metal container. Keep the container outside, a safe distance away from your home.
• If synthetic logs are used, follow the directions on the package. Never break a synthetic log apart or use more than one log at a time.
• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
• If you do not have one already, install a carbon monoxide detector. Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless, invisible gas, which is produced by gas fireplaces, furnaces and stoves, barbecues, vehicles, propane appliances and any other device that produces a flame.

For more information on safe home heating, go to the Home Heating Safety website.

And for additional safety tips and fire prevention information, check out our Fire Prevention page.

The Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Fire Marshal's Office is reminding citizens that open burning is restricted in Loudoun County between February 15th and April 30th. The regulations, which prohibit open air fires, or open burning as it is commonly referred to, between the hours of midnight and 4p.m., are enforced by the Loudoun County Fire Marshal and the Virginia Department of Forestry. Known as the "4p.m. law," these restrictions are in place due to the potential for rapid fire spread across woodland and grassland areas as a result of dry outdoor fuels, high winds and temperature increases that are normally present in the late winter and early spring season.

During this period, residents may conduct open burning between the hours of "4 p.m. and midnight", subject to other restrictions. Open air fires for leaves, trees, brush, yard and garden trimmings generated on site are allowed between "4 p.m. and midnight", except in the town limits of Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville, Round Hill, and subdivisions ("urban or built-up areas") throughout the County and in the Town of Leesburg. Ensure that any permissible outdoor burning is conducted at least fifty feet away from any structure.

Persons conducting open burning must contact the Loudoun County Emergency Communications Center at 703-777-0637 prior to igniting a fire and at the end of the burning. Fires may not be added to after midnight. Persons are responsible, at all times, to ensure the fire is maintained under control and that it is attended to by a competent adult, 18 years of age or older, with provisions immediately available to extinguish the fire.

The Loudoun County Fire Marshal may impose regulations, at any time, based upon complaint, atmospheric or other environmental circumstances, to restrict or extinguish any fire that is otherwise permitted according to these guidelines. Any person who violates the fire code could be convicted of a Class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a penalty of a fine up to $2,500.00 and up to a year in jail. If convicted, a person may be required to compensate the locality for the full costs of fighting a fire.

Questions regarding open burning regulations and the "4 p.m. law" should be directed to the Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office website or by calling 703-737-8600.

For more information on the Open Burn policies, see the Open Burning Regulations website.

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 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.

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.

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