Department Overview, Services, Locations

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Shared Values: Safety, Quality, & Integrity

Augusta County Fire-Rescue is a combination volunteer and career all-hazards agency that provides emergency response and mitigation of all fire, rescue, emergency medical, and hazardous materials incidents occurring within Augusta County. In addition to these traditional emergency services, Augusta County Fire-Rescue provides state and national certified training for career and volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics. We also provide community outreach programs to include fire safety education, hazard mitigation, smoke detector installations, and child safety seat installations.

Overview

Augusta County Fire-Rescue (ACFR) was established in 1941 and has grown to include 126 career personnel. Augusta County’s volunteer fire and rescue stations are staffed by 450 operational volunteers. ACFR career members work side by side with our Augusta County partner volunteers responding from 17 volunteer fire & rescue organizations physically located within Augusta County, as well as those located outside of the county. Each year we respond to an average of 16,000 requests for service.

ACFR works closely with the Cities of Waynesboro and Staunton to dispatch the closest units to the emergency, regardless of the jurisdiction. In addition to these automatic aid dispatches, we participate with our regional partners to provide specialized services that include hazardous materials response and technical rescue services.

The department is headquartered in the Augusta County Government Center located at 18 Government Center Drive, Verona, Virginia. We are co-located with the Augusta County Emergency Communications Center (ECC), which is the primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for all 911 calls, and the Augusta County Fire Training Center.

Augusta County is geographically located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia at the convergence of Interstates 81 and 64. Augusta County and our surrounding jurisdictions provide a mix of light urban, suburban, and rural exposure. Augusta Health is a community based full service hospital located in the Fishersville area of the County. The Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport is located in the Weyers Cave area of Augusta County, providing commercial, corporate, and private aviation services to the Valley. The Skyline Drive, Blue Ridge Parkway, George Washington National Forest, and Shenandoah National Park offer opportunities to experience the natural beauty of Augusta County.

Department History

Augusta County established the first career/volunteer station in 1941 and named the station Augusta County Fire Department currently located on Richmond Road in Staunton. The original location for the department was in an old school bus garage, at the intersection of Richmond Road, Greenville Avenue and Commerce Road at the underpass in Staunton. The current location at 1026 Richmond Avenue, Staunton, VA was built in 1971.

In 1941, the first paid fire chief for Augusta County was Chief E. H. Dabney; he was followed by Chief H. Hyde Kerr, Chief Harry Craig, in 1972 Chief Ron Garber took the position until September 2001 when he retired, Bruce Crow followed and he retired in 2009. Chief of Fire-Rescue D. Carson Holloway served from 2009 to 2018. Fire Rescue Chief David W. Nichols, served from 2019 to 2021. Current Fire-Rescue Chief is M. Greg Schacht.

Augusta County Fire-Rescue currently has a total of 105 employees; 6 administrative positions, 4 training positions, and 95 operations positions. Over the past 15 years, the department has grown from a total of 18 employees to our current 105 positions. Forty-one of these positions were added in 2014 (20) & 2016 (21) as the result of two SAFER grants (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response).

We continue to enjoy a strong partnership between our volunteer partners and the career staff to serve the citizens of Augusta County.

Operations Division

Fire and Rescue Operations is comprised of the men and women who staff our fire and rescue stations to respond to a wide array of incidents occurring in Augusta County. The Operations Division includes the career and volunteer members who work side by side to serve our citizens.

Services

Augusta County Fire Rescue provides emergency and non-emergency services through a mutual partnership between our volunteer agencies and our career staff.

Fire Suppression

Fire Suppression refers to the control and extinguishing of hostile fires. Augusta County Fire Rescue is trained to respond to structural fires, wildland fires, and other similar events. Our units are divided into “companies,” each of which utilize special equipment and training.

Engine Company – Carry water, hose, and ladders. Primary responsibility is to stretch hoselines and extinguish the fire.
Truck Company – Carry ladders, special tools, and have a fixed ladder with a typical reach of 75 to 100 feet. Primary responsibility is to provide forcible entry, search & rescue, ventilation, ladders, property salvage, and overhaul during suppression operations.
Rescue Company – Carry advanced rescue equipment such as hydraulic vehicle extrication tools, rope rescue, water rescue, trench rescue, and confined space rescue. ACFR Squad 10 is also part of the Virginia Region 2 Technical Rescue Team (TRT). TRT members complete advanced training in technical rescue and may respond outside our area to assist with complex rescues.
Tanker or Tender – A tanker or tender is a mobile water transfer unit. They are capable of carrying up to 3,000 gallons of water per load for large fires or in areas that do not have access to a municipal water system equipped with fire hydrants.
Brush Unit – A brush truck is a 4-wheel drive unit that can access off-road areas during wildland fires. They typically are equipped with a small water tank (100-250) and a small pump. Brush units are vital during times of wildland fire activity for fire containment and structure protection in hard to access areas of Augusta County.
Command – A command unit is often an SUV type vehicle that is used by the Duty Officer (DO) to respond to the emergency. The DO or Incident Commander (IC) is responsible to provide coordination and management of on-scene resources. The Command unit is equipped with communications resources and technical information that will aid the IC to safety coordinate on-scene resources and make accurate decisions. A primary role of the DO / IC is to develop and implement the Incident Action Plan (IAP) that communicates incident priorities and assigns duties to responding units.
Support – Support units are often pickup trucks or SUV’s that can transport personnel and/or equipment to and from the incident scene.

Emergency Medical Services

Prehospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) include basic life support (BLS) up to advanced life support (ALS) paramedics. All EMS personnel and equipment must conform to the regulations promulgated by the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services.

Quick Response Unit – Responds to medical emergencies with trained personnel and equipment. This unit does not have the capability to transport a patient to the hospital.
BLS Transport Unit – The BLS unit is staffed and equipped to provide Basic Life Support. This will include immediate life-saving interventions that are non-invasive such as oxygen therapy and defibrillation. The unit is capable of transporting the patient to the closest appropriate medical facility.
Trauma Unit – The Trauma unit is staffed and equipped with trained personnel and equipment to provide intermediate care above the BLS level. This would include IV therapy, some advanced airway techniques, defibrillation, and limited medications approved by the medical director. The trauma unit is authorized to transport.
Medic Unit – The Medic unit is staffed and equipped to the highest level outside the hospital. The paramedic is trained in many advanced life-saving skills that include advanced airways, advanced IV access & administration, and is authorized to administer a broader scope of pharmaceutical interventions.
EMS Supervisor – Each shift is staffed with an EMS Supervisor who is a Paramedic. The EMS Supervisor responds to assist for any incident deemed immediately life threatening. The EMS Supervisor also responds to any complex incidents in support of the Incident Commander and may be assigned a support role within the Incident Command System.

Hazardous Materials Mitigation

Hazardous Materials Mitigation – Many chemicals exist in our world and when they get out of their container pose a risk to life, property, and the environment. The ACFR Hazardous Materials Response Team is trained to respond to a wide array of chemical and technological threats. The ACFR HazMat team serves as a regional response team for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). The ACFR HazMat team responds to traffic crashes that involve chemical spills, releases of chemicals at a fixed facility, or other incidents where chemicals may be involved. The HazMat team is also trained to support mass decontamination after a threatened or actual act of terrorism.

Technical Rescue

Augusta County Fire Rescue is one of the agencies that comprises the Virginia Region 2 Technical Rescue Team. TRT members are trained to respond to and manage specialized rescue incidents including complex vehicle rescues, trench rescues, confined space rescues, high-angle rope rescues, water rescues, and structural collapse rescues. Other agencies in the Shenandoah Valley who participate with the Region 2 TRT are Staunton, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, and Rockingham County.

Station Locations & Contact Information

As a combination volunteer and career agency, the Augusta County Fire-Rescue system relies on station locations throughout the county that provide emergency response for fire, rescue, emergency medical, and hazardous materials incidents.

Fire and Rescue

Company 2 / Rescue 2

Deerfield Fire and Rescue Department
P. O. Box 19
2927 Deerfield Valley Road
Deerfield, VA 24432
(540) 939-4521
Volunteer (Career 24/7)
Organized in 1964 with fire apparatus and rescue squad in one building

Company 4 / Rescue 4

Churchville Fire and Rescue Department
P. O. Box 608
3829 Churchville Avenue
Churchville, VA 24421
(540) 337-6043
Volunteer (Daytime Career Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Organized in 1959 with fire apparatus and rescue squad in one building

Company 18

New Hope Fire Department
691 Battlefield Road
P.O. Box 38
New Hope, VA 24469
(540) 363-3473
Volunteer (Career 24/7)
Organized 1990 with fire apparatus and rescue squad in one building

Company 21 / Rescue 21

Mt. Solon Fire and Rescue Department
86 Emmanuel Church Road
Mt. Solon, VA 22843
(540) 350-2911
Volunteer (Daytime Career Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Fire Department organized in 1989 and added the rescue squad in 1995, fire apparatus and rescue squad in one building

Fire

Company 3

Middlebrook Fire Department
P. O. Box 57
56 Cherry Grove Road
Middlebrook, VA 24459
(540) 885-1160
Volunteer (Daytime Career Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Organized in 1948

Company 5

Weyers Cave Fire Department
P. O. Box 69
1235 Keezletown Road
Weyers Cave, VA 24486
(540) 234-8041
All Volunteer, Organized in 1923, it was the first “organized” station in Augusta County

Company 6

Verona Fire Department
P. O. Box 348
304 Lee Highway
Verona, VA 24482
(540) 248-2480
Volunteer (Daytime Career Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Organized in 1958

Company 7

Stuarts Draft Fire Department
P. O. Box 548
118 Draft Avenue
Stuarts Draft, VA 24477
(540) 337-1122
All Volunteer, Organized in 1950

Company 8

Craigsville Fire Department
P. O. Box 37
120 First St.
Craigsville, VA 24430
(540) 997-9191
All Volunteer, Organized in 1960

Company 9

Dooms Fire Department
P. O. Box 836
27 Sandy Ridge Road
Waynesboro, VA 22980
(540) 943-0679
Volunteer (Daytime Career Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Organized in 1962

Company 10

Augusta County Fire Department
P. O. Box 2411
1026 Richmond Avenue
Staunton, VA 24401
(540) 245-5370
Combination Volunteer/Career (Career 24/7)
Organized in 1941

Company 11

Preston L. Yancey Fire Department
P. O. Box 177
2015 Jefferson Highway
Fishersville, VA 22939
(540) 943-8878
Combination Volunteer/Career (Career 24/7)
Organized in 1977

Company 14

Swoope Volunteer Fire Company
697 Parkersburg Turnpike
Swoope, VA 24479
(540) 886-5011
All Volunteer, Organized in 1979

Company 19

Wilson Volunteer Fire Company- http://www.wilsonvfc.com
P. O. Box 157
892 Mount Torrey Road
Lyndhurst, VA 22952
(540) 949-8969
All Volunteer, Organized in 1986

Company 25

Riverheads Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. - www.riverheadsvfd.org
P.O. Box 39
Mint Springs, VA 24463
(49 Swartzel Shop Road, Staunton, VA 24401)
(540) 337-1035
All Volunteer (Career 24/7 EMS)

Rescue

Regional Agencies that Serve Augusta

Fire Departments that are NOT physically located in Augusta County, but serve Augusta County.

Company 12
Raphine Fire Department
P.O. Box 2142
Raphine, VA 24472
(540) 377-2888
All Volunteer

Company 15
Bridgewater Fire Department
304 North Main Street
Bridgewater, VA 22812
(540) 828-3121
Volunteer – 20 /Career – 2 (Career supplied by Rockingham County)

Company 20
Grottoes Fire Department
P.O. Box 67
Grottoes, VA 24441
(540) 249-5911
Volunteer – 20 /Career –2 (Career supplied by Rockingham County)

Company 23
Walkers Creek Fire Department
3964 Walkers Creek Road
Middlebrook, VA 24459
(540) 348-5105
All Volunteer

Wintergreen Fire Department
P.O. Box 706
Wintergreen, VA 22958
(434) 325-8536
Combination Volunteer/Career

Rescue Squads that are NOT physically located in Augusta County, but serve Augusta County.

Rescue 1
Waynesboro First Aid Crew
201 W. Broad Street
Waynesboro, VA 22980
(540) 949-7118
All Volunteer

Rescue 5
Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad
P.O. Box 2566
Staunton, VA 24402-2566
(540) 885-3444
All Volunteer

Rescue 7
Fairfield Rescue Squad
P.O. Box 136
Fairfield, VA 24435
(540) 377-2848
All Volunteer

Rescue 13
Goshen Rescue Squad
P.O. Box 66
Goshen, VA 24439
(540) 997-9409
All Volunteer

Rescue 15
Bridgewater Rescue Squad
P.O. Box 268
Bridgewater, VA 22812
(540) 828-3395

Rescue 20
Grottoes Rescue Squad
P.O. Box 1187
Grottoes, VA 24441
(540) 249-3197
Volunteer – 40 /Career – 2 (Career supplied by Rockingham County)

Wintergreen Rescue Squad
P.O. Box 711
Wintergreen, VA 22958
(434) 325-8536
Career and Volunteer

Augusta County, VA

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