The McLean Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) took a sizable step toward its goal of acquiring a new fire engine yesterday (Wednesday) after accepting the biggest single donation in its history.
An estate planning attorney and administrative volunteer for the department, Bob Freda, presented a check for $75,000 to MVFD President Patricia Moynihan on behalf of the Patricia A. Henriques Charitable Foundation.
Established in 2014, the nonprofit foundation is now managed by Freda and his wife after Henriques, an entrepreneur who taught at Georgetown University, died from cancer in 2020.
A longtime resident of South Arlington, Henriques would’ve appreciated the donation being presented on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon, which was near her home, according to Freda.
“My admiration for McLean Volunteer Fire Department is well known, and it was always noted by my dear friend and colleague Pat,” Freda said. “For forty years, she lived by the Pentagon, and making this grant to assist the heroes of this department on the 23rd anniversary of the attack would thrill her. Personally, it’s very moving to me to be the bridge between her undying spirit and the spirit of this great department.”
According to MVFD, its tower ladder truck deployed to the Pentagon on 9/11, but the timing of the donation was intended as a “tribute to all fire and rescue personnel.”
The foundation’s grant represents the first donation that MVFD has received in a multi-year fundraising campaign for a second fire engine.
The department has set its sights on a new engine after adding a third ambulance to its vehicle fleet in February. Outfitted with a power-loading system to raise and lower the cot used by medical patients, the $307,000 ambulance was funded by a combination of community donations and a loan approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
The engine’s estimated $1 million price tag will be split between the MVFD and Fairfax County, with the fire department assuming 51% of the cost.
Slated for delivery in 2027, the additional vehicle will give the department “greater flexibility to respond to emergencies as the number of residents and businesses in the area continues to increase,” Moynihan said in the release. It will also allow the existing, older engine to be used at community events.
“[The department is] very grateful for this extremely generous donation,” Moynihan said. “This donation, the first of our multi-year efforts to raise $500,000 for the purchase of a new fire engine, will go a long way towards helping us reach our goal.”
