The Sterling Volunteer Fire Company remains on the job in Loudoun County, Virginia, after volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown was killed and others suffered injuries in Friday night’s house explosion.
Eleven firefighters were injured in the blast, one remains hospitalized and undergoing treatment for burns.
“They’re a very strong, operational fire company. And they are part of the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System. … I have 759 career employees. And then there’s over 1,200 volunteers. So altogether, we have about 2,000, what we call Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System members. We work together seamlessly,” said Loudoun County Fire Chief Keith Johnson.
The Sterling Volunteer Fire Company operates out of Station 11 in Sterling Park and Station 25 in Cascades and works jointly with the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad.
“We staff the stations in Sterling, all stations, during the day … there’s a mixture of career and volunteers that staff their station at night … they have depth on the bench. But if they’re short, we step in and staff their units with them,” Johnson said. “We’re able to make sure that every unit is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 [days], to the same level. No unit ever goes unstaffed and no unit ever goes nonresponsive.”
Johnson also pointed out there’s a robust mutual aid system with neighboring fire departments assisting each other. At Friday night’s house explosion, Loudoun County was assisted by firefighters from Fairfax County and the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority.
Of the 11 firefighters and two civilians injured, four firefighters were hospitalized. Just one remains in the hospital — Brian Diamond, a Sterling volunteer firefighter who sustained severe burn injuries and is also a Loudoun County Public Schools teacher.
Johnson said the Fire Marshal’s Office completed gathering evidence Wednesday at the scene of the house explosion and will continue its investigation and analysis into the origin and cause of the blast.
The firefighters responded Friday for the smell of gas and discovered an underground, leaking propane tank.
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