Fairmont Fire Department

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Fairmont Fire Department

Official page of the Fairmont Fire Department, Fairmont, WV.

06/14/2026

FFD hosted a week-long Swiftwater Rescue Technician course, culminating with practical skills training at Valley Falls State Park last week.

Two of Fairmont’s firefighters completed the course, bringing our water rescue team to a full complement of 12 trained and equipped members ready to respond to water emergencies throughout our region.

Our members trained alongside firefighters from Bridgeport, Clarksburg, and Morgantown Fire Departments, who also sent multiple members to participate.

This course was made possible through a two-year technical-rescue grant awarded by FEMA to the four agencies, helping strengthen regional rescue capabilities and improve interagency cooperation.

Congratulations to all who completed the class, and thank you to the instructors and partner departments for a great week of training. 🚒🌊

05/14/2026

FFD’s Water Rescue Team recently had the opportunity to train at Fayetteville Technical Community College’s incredible indoor swiftwater training facility in North Carolina.

This is not your everyday training. Crews began with a structure surrounded by floodwater, learning how to adapt traditional firefighting tools and techniques to water rescue operations. The instructors brought years of experience with hurricane deployments, giving our members practical insight into the kind of scenarios communities face when severe weather strikes.

As the class progressed, so did the difficulty. Crews trained in darkness, wind, simulated lightning and thunder to better prepare for realistic storm conditions. The final evolution moved underground into a flooded storm drain rescue, where members maneuvered 30 feet through a flooded culvert to retrieve a victim — definitely not a drill for anyone who is claustrophobic!

With springtime storms and flash flooding always a concern, this type of specialized training is invaluable. Every new skill, every realistic scenario, and every hour spent training helps our members better serve the community when conditions are at their worst.

Strong work by the FFD Water Rescue Team!

05/05/2026

At 11:48am, FFD was dispatched to a hazardous materials incident near 914 8th street involving a spilled powder inside of a FedEx truck. Fairmont Police has assisted with setting a perimeter with FSHS sheltering in place as a precaution. Two patients have been decontaminated on scene and transported by Marion County Rescue Squad for observation with minor irration to the eyes.

The material is suspected to be some type of pool chemicals, but the exact product is being confirmed with shippers as of 1:00pm. Marion County Homeland Security & Emergency Management is deploying a drone to assist in confirming the exact product.

There is no immediate hazard to anyone in the vicinity and Fairmont Senior High will be releasing students at the regular time, with a modified bus route for pickup.

UPDATE: as of 1:55pm, the chemical was positively identified as soda ash, a slightly corrosive chemical for treating swimming pools. The scene is under control and the area should return to normal within the hour.

04/15/2026

🔥Big fires = Big water! 💦
While Fairmont is fortunate to have a reliable network of fire hydrants, using water from wherever we can find it is a fundamental firefighter skill. This morning, A-shift polished up on the art of drafting from the river to supply large master-streams and our aerial ladder. These trucks are flowing about 1500 gallons per minute in this picture!

04/09/2026

We are excited to announce that RSVPs are now OPEN for our second-annual State of the City Address.

The address will take place on Wednesday, May 6th, at 6 p.m. in the Robert H. Mollohan Research Center at 1000 Galliher Drive in Fairmont's High Tech Park.

The event is free to attend, but we do ask that you complete RSVP form if you plan to attend. That form can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/FairmontSotC

If you can't make it, the full remarks will be available on our YouTube channel after the event.

We hope to see you there!

04/02/2026

FFD would like to welcome our newest firefighter, Ben Cyphers. Ben is a Fairmont native, and National Guardsman. He will be assigned to A-shift after he completes his initial training.

03/29/2026

City firefighters made a quick stop to a structure fire, saving at a historic home on Ogden Ave. this afternoon. The fire was reported at around 3:43pm, and the incident commander reported it under control within 20 minutes. No injuries were reported, and most of fire damage was to the rear basement area. All three city stations responded and as of 4:20pm are still on scene, completing overhaul and investigating the cause.

03/15/2026

📢 DID YOU KNOW? | Fire Death Rates Are Higher in West Virginia than the National Average

When a fire occurs in West Virginia, it is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality compared to the national average.

📊 West Virginia: about 5.5 deaths per 1,000 fires
📊 United States: about 2.1 deaths per 1,000 fires
That statistic highlights a serious reality: fires in our state are more likely to turn deadly.
⠀
How can we fix this?

🛠 Invest in fire prevention and public education

🏢 Ensure buildings are constructed, renovated, and used in accordance with fire and life safety codes

🧯 Support fire marshals and inspectors who identify hazards before tragedy occurs
⠀
Prevention, strong fire and life safety laws, and proper enforcement can save lives.

Note: A majority of fire deaths in West Virginia are within Private Dwellings. This is largely due to the fire and life safety codes already in place and enforced within commercial buildings.

03/10/2026

FFD made a quick stop to a midday fire of an apartment building on Gaston Ave. today. This is the fourth. The fire was contained to the room of origin. Some residents were home at the time of the fire, but no injuries were reported and the residents are not expected to be displaced. The property and contents sustained minimal damage and the exact cause is still under investigation.
This is the fourth structure fire in the city in the last two weeks.

02/27/2026

At around 8:53pm on 2/26/26 the Fairmont Fire Department was dispatched to a commercial building fire at the corner of Pennsylvania Ave. and Grafton Street. The initial units arrived in 3 minites with the fire very advanced throughout the second floor. The incident commander requested recall of off-duty personnel to assist at the scene and to staff the stations for other emergencies. Within 30 minutes the operation was transitioned to a defensive mode due to the involvement and building stability. The building was being used for storage at the time of the fire and is considered a total loss. One house that was adjacent to the building was saved from the spread of the fire. No injuries were reported. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation but is not being considered suspicious. As of 1:40am on Friday, Pennsylvania Ave. is still closed, but is expected to reopen in the coming hours. The fire is under control, but crews will remain on scene through the early morning hours to ensure extinguishment.

Address

500 Quincy Street
Fairmont, WV
26554

Website

http://www.FairmontWV.gov/

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