Fire Department

Administration

• Provides overall policy and administrative oversight and support for the department

Fire and EMS Operations

• Oversees day-to-day delivery of fire and EMS service
• Training and professional development
• Emergency medical service programs.
• Provides all hazards emergency medical, fire suppression, vehicle rescue, and swift water rescue services to the citizens of The City of Fairfax
• Personnel are assigned to one of three shifts
  • A, B or C
  • Each shift is 24 hours starting at 0700 and ending at 0700 the next day
  • Schedule ensures the fire department is ready to respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to a variety of emergency incidents including fires, motor vehicle accidents, medical emergencies, and gas and utility emergencies.
  • “24-hour shift” requires operations division employees to carry out a variety of tasks throughout the day such as meal preparation, physical activity, and housekeeping duties.

Code Administration

• Includes building code administration & plans review
• Inspections and investigations
• Life safety education and emergency management

Mission

To protect our community through risk reduction, readiness, response, and recovery.

Vision

Preparing today to provide a safer tomorrow.

Core Values

A strategic plan is a living management tool that provides short term direction, builds upon identified strengths and shared vision, documents goals, objectives, and accomplishments, and optimizes internal and external resources to accomplish the mission. In early 2022, the department set out to update its strategic plan after tracking many successes from the published 2019 plan. As an end result, the department established realistic goals and objectives using internal and external stakeholder input to chart the course for the continued future success of the organization.

City of Fairfax Fire Department Strategic Plan(PDF, 4MB)

On behalf of the dedicated, trained, and professional career and volunteer members of the City of Fairfax Fire Department, it is a pleasure to present our 2025 Annual Report(PDF, 5MB).

The City of Fairfax Fire Department is a fast-paced fire and EMS system that operates out of two stations. Fire Station 3 includes an advanced life support (ALS) transport unit; Foam Engine; Tower (ladder) Company; and the duty Battalion Chief. The second station, Fire Station 33, houses a specialized Rescue Engine Company, which has both heavy rescue and firefighting capability, an ALS transport unit, and swift water unit. Suppression units also have ALS capability. In 2024, the department responded to 9,273 fire and EMS incidents that resulted in 13,751 unit responses to handle the incidents. The department averages 38 unit responses per day.

The department has an operational field strength of 63 career members on three shifts and work 24 hour shifts over a 56 hour work week. These suppression units also have ALS intervention capabilities for first responder purposes. The EMS transport units are staffed with 2 fire medics.

The City of Fairfax Fire Department also has a modern 5 story propane burn building, a two-story classroom facility with a high bay garage, and a full-scale single-family RIT (Rapid Intervention) house. This training facility is a one-of-a-kind asset that benefits not only the members of the department but members across the region as well.

The city comprises a 6.3 square mile area that includes a downtown historical area, commercial and light industry, residential, high rise, strip shopping centers and interstate highways. Some of our key complexes include a large petroleum tank farm, George Mason University, the Fairfax County Judicial Center complex, and an adjoining interstate highway.

The Fairfax Volunteer Fire Department (FVFD) is an integral part of the city’s fire and EMS operations, providing state-of-the-art apparatus and facilities, and operational staffing at all levels of suppression and EMS operations.

For further details, visit Fairfax Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.