Stafford Volunteer Fire Department

08/26/2026

🐾 Happy National Dog Day! 🐾

Today, we’re celebrating a very special member of the Stafford County Public Safety family — Chet! ❤️🐶

Chet is the Therapy Dog attached to the Stafford County Public Safety Chaplains, where he provides comfort, companionship, and a friendly face when our first responders need it most.

Chet and his handler/mom, Sue, are both dedicated volunteers and have become a tremendous asset to Stafford County’s first responders and our community. Whether it’s offering a little stress relief after a difficult call, bringing a smile to someone’s face, or simply being there to listen, Chet has a special way of making things just a little better.

Thank you, Chet and Sue, for the time, compassion, and unconditional support you give to those who serve our community. 🐾❤️

Happy National Dog Day, Chet! 🎉🐕‍🦺

08/25/2026

🏍️🔥 THIS SATURDAY — MIA ETHERIDGE MEMORIAL RIDE 🔥🏍️

The Stafford Volunteer Fire Department would like to remind everyone that the 3rd Annual Mia Etheridge Memorial Ride is happening this Saturday, August 29th!

For our members, friends, and supporters who would like to ride down together, we’ll be meeting up Saturday morning with:

🏍️ KICKSTANDS UP AT 0800!

We’ll ride together to the Mineral Volunteer Fire Department to join our brothers and sisters in the fire service and motorcycle community as we remember Firefighter Mia Etheridge.

📍 Mineral Volunteer Fire Department
📅 Saturday, August 29, 2026
📝 Event Registration Begins: 0900
🏍️ Memorial Ride Kickstands Up: 1100
💲 $20 per bike | $10 per additional rider

The day will also feature live music, food, vendors, raffles, and more. You don’t have to ride to come out and show your support!

All proceeds benefit the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and its mission of honoring America’s fallen firefighters and supporting their families.

🔥 Gone But Never Forgotten. 🔥

We hope to see a strong Stafford showing Saturday morning. Ride together. Remember together.

08/24/2026

🪢 TRAIN TODAY. READY TOMORROW. 🚒

Training doesn’t always have to be complicated to build important skills.

Over the weekend, members of the Stafford Volunteer Fire Department took some time to work with one of our probationary firefighters on basic rope rescue skills, including setting up and operating a simple Z-Drag haul system.

The Z-Drag uses mechanical advantage to help rescuers move a load with less effort and is one of the foundational systems that can be used during low-angle rope rescue operations. More importantly, practicing these basic systems helps our newer members develop an understanding of anchors, knots, mechanical advantage, communication, and teamwork before progressing to more advanced rescue techniques.

For a probationary firefighter, every training opportunity matters. Sometimes it’s the big evolutions—and sometimes it’s a few firefighters, some rope, and a willingness to learn.

Master the basics. Build the foundation. Be ready when it matters.

🔥 Dedicated 2 Excellence

08/22/2026

🚒 STAFFED UP & SERVING OUR COMMUNITY 🚒

It was a busy Saturday for the volunteers of the Stafford Volunteer Fire Department, and we were proud to spend it supporting both our community and our neighbors in the fire service.

Our crews took the opportunity to stop by and support the Brooke Point High School Craft Fair, spending some time with members of the community before heading out for some valuable first-due familiarization.

With a new elementary school preparing to open in our first-due response area, our crew took advantage of the opportunity to get familiar with the building before the first emergency call ever comes in. We positioned the Ladder Truck, put the aerial ladder to the roof, and toured the interior to become familiar with building access, layout, stairwells, roof access, and other features important to emergency operations.

Knowing the buildings in our first due is an important part of being prepared. When an emergency happens, familiarity gained today can save valuable time tomorrow.

Today, we staffed in support of a countywide request for increased volunteer staffing. That additional staffing helped maintain coverage here in Stafford while other county resources traveled to Spotsylvania County to support our brothers and sisters there following the passing of one of their members.

It is one of the things that makes the fire service special. When another department needs support, the fire service family answers—and those who remain behind make sure our communities continue to be protected.

From supporting a local school event, to learning a new building in our first due, to staffing up so others could support a neighboring department, our volunteers were proud to be there wherever we were needed.

🚒 Stafford Volunteer Fire Department
Dedicated 2 Excellence

08/20/2026

🇺🇸 CLIMB TO REMEMBER | TUNNEL TO TOWERS 2026 🇺🇸

The Stafford Volunteer Fire Department is proud to support the 5th Annual Tunnel to Towers Stair Climb – Stafford County on Sunday, September 13th at Fred Nats Stadium.

On September 11, 2001, 343 FDNY firefighters made the ultimate sacrifice while answering the call to help others. The Tunnel to Towers Stair Climb honors their courage, sacrifice, and memory—and reminds us that their legacy continues through the fire service and the communities we serve.

We encourage our members, families, friends, and the entire Stafford community to come out and climb to remember. Whether you participate in the climb, volunteer, donate, or simply help spread the word, your support helps ensure that we never forget.

A special thank you to this year’s event sponsors—GMC Sheehy of Fredericksburg, Loudoun Construction, and the Stafford County Fire & Rescue Charitable Foundation—for helping make this important event possible.

📅 Sunday, September 13, 2026
📍 Fred Nats Stadium
🇺🇸 We climb because they climbed. We remember because they sacrificed.

Register or donate:
https://climbstaffordcounty.t2t.org/

🔥 Dedicated 2 Excellence

08/20/2026

UPDATE as of 8:38PM 8/20/2026: The National Weather Service has CANCELLED the Tornado Watch for Stafford County.

The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for Stafford County until 10PM Thursday, August 20, 2026. Please monitor weather conditions and be prepared to seek shelter if a warning is issued.

08/20/2026

08/19/2026

🔥 FLASHBACK — STAFFORD VFD HISTORY 🚒

Every old firehouse photo has a story behind it, and this one captures a pretty incredible piece of Stafford Volunteer Fire Department history.

This photo was taken when a group of Stafford volunteers was invited to participate in a parade in Washington, D.C. Standing together in front of the apparatus are Ron Thayer, Charlie Robertson, John “Johnny Mac” McDonald, Sean Egan, Howard Lagomarsino, Ed Rodriguez, and Jack Dunstan.

Sadly, several of the men pictured — R. Thayer, C. Robertson, and J. McDonald — have since passed away. While time moves on, photographs like this remind us that the history of Stafford VFD isn’t found only in old apparatus, stations, or records. It’s found in the people who answered the calls, wore the uniform, represented our community, and helped build the department generations of volunteers continue to serve today.

To those still with us, thank you for carrying these memories and sharing our history. To those who have answered their final alarm, your service and legacy have not been forgotten.

🚒 Then. Now. Always.

Dedicated 2 Excellence

08/19/2026