Dumfries fire, rescue departments to share volunteers

By URIAH KISER

Dumfries, Va. –– Two volunteer rescue organizations in Dumfries have agreed to help each other.

A new signed agreement between the Dumfries Triangle Volunteer Rescue Squad and Dumfries Triangle Volunteer Fire Department will have volunteers from both companies working at both stations.

DTRS has been short handed as of late, and since fire volunteers are trained in rescue operations, the rescue squad will stand to benefit, officials said.

The agreement comes after the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue – the agency that funds the two departments when it comes to paying the bills for things like the lease, repair and maintenance of the buildings, utility bills, supplies and vehicle gas and maintenance – asked the two volunteer organizations to merge, said DTVFD President Virginia Hoskins.

“The county asked us to merge, but we are two separate corporations in the state, and they are not able to enforce that mandate upon us. This agreement is just something formal that shows we’ll be helping the rescue station with manpower,” said Hoskins.

Both volunteer organizations, like other volunteer fire organizations in Prince William County, are registered non-profit companies. The money they make through Bingo games, donations and fund drives, goes to the purchase of equipment and other items for the company.

In 2010, $2.3 million of county taxpayer’s money was budgeted to fund both DTRS and DTVFD, from a $52.4 million county-wide fire and rescue budget.

Prince William Fire and Rescue Chief Kevin J. McGee said he won’t confirm or deny reports that he requested the two departments to merge, but he is happy to hear about the agreement between DTRS and DTVFD.

“Every volunteer company and the department of fire and rescue has to look at how we do things and how we can become more cost efficient,” said McGee. “The volunteer companies who are willing to support the staffing of another volunteer company allow us to reduce the possibly of service deficiencies, or service voids.”

McGee does not plan to release a plan announcing cost-saving strategies, and said it is premature to comment on how much money could be saved if the two volunteer organizations were to merge.

The Dumfries Triangle Volunteer Fire Department formed in 1944, and last week opened its newest fire station on River Ridge Boulevard in Woodbridge.

DTRS was founded in 1959, and is located on Graham Park Road in Dumfries.