[Archived] Fire Department Implements Organizational Restructure to Ensure Improved Emergency Service to City of Alexandria

For Immediate Release: May 28, 2021

The Alexandria Fire Department (AFD) will implement an organizational restructure, effective Saturday, June 12. The goals of the changes are to improve service efficiency and response times across the city; reduce cost; increase safety on the roadways; and improve response preparedness for specialty teams such as the Technical Rescue, Hazardous Materials, and Inland Water Rescue teams.

The organizational restructure will consist of Advanced Life Support (ALS) unit upgrades, the addition of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) lieutenants, specialty team relocations, and creating Battalion Management Teams (BMT).

“The Alexandria Fire Department has a dedicated workforce, strong partnerships and an engaged community that have provided us with the foundation to make these quality improvements, and we’re just getting started,” said Fire/EMS Chief Corey Smedley. “We are taking a hard look at ourselves, using data-driven decision making, including our frontline workforce the decision-making process, and using industry best practices to ensure we maintain a safer Alexandria.”

An ALS ladder truck and several ALS fire engines will be staffed with at least one paramedic on each unit. These resources will be strategically located throughout the city, and the Fire Department will also enhance ALS capabilities by adding EMS Lieutenants on various units to ensure continued high-quality care during emergency incidents and enhanced training opportunities for paramedic interns.

The Fire Department’s specialty teams will be realigned to improve response preparedness and resource integration. In anticipation of continued population growth in Alexandria and to balance rescue squad coverage:

Technical Rescue Team will move to Station 209 (2800 Mainline Blvd.).
Inland Water Rescue will also relocate to Station 209 for more efficient response to possible flooding.
The Hazardous Materials Team will move to Station 210 (5255 Eisenhower Ave.) for more efficient response to the industrial park, Norfolk Southern Ethanol Transloading Facility and easy access to the interstate where nationally most hazardous material emergencies occur.
The Marine Operations Team will relocate to Station 204 (900 Second St.).
A ladder truck will be located at Station 203 (2801 Cameron Mills Rd.). Locating a ladder truck at Station 203 will allow for 5-minute special service coverage across the entire city, which is aligned with National Fire Protection Association (1710) industry best practices.

The Fire Department will also create Battalion Management Teams (BMTs) comprised of a battalion chief and an EMS captain or a fire captain for all three shifts for the East and West ends of the city. BMTs work together as one functioning unit to improve our all-hazards approach and increase safety while responding on the roadways. With a focus on high-performance, the organizational restructure will ensure there is a captain assigned to each station for every shift. This will improve day-to-day operations by leveraging the experience of more tenured staff to improve daily station management, proactively address personnel and facility issues, and provide professional development opportunities for newly promoted frontline supervisors.

AFD will host the following virtual community engagement opportunities to discuss the organizational restructure:

Visit the 2021 AFD Restructure Page for additional information about AFD’s organizational restructure. To arrange for a representative from the Alexandria Fire Department to present the upcoming improvements to your community organization, email AFD.PIO@alexandriava.gov .

For media inquiries only, contact Andrea Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact amanda.jackson@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.5239, Virginia Relay 711.