The McLean Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) welcomed a brand-new fire engine this weekend, doubling the number in its fleet.
According to department leaders, the community’s support was crucial throughout the process, which began with fundraising and ended with a push-in ceremony in the middle of an open house on Saturday (Oct. 10) where everyone from kids to Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman and Congressional Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) literally put their back into placing the engine in its new station.
“This is an exciting time for us,” MVFD President Patricia Moynihan said prior to the push-in, a tradition that dates back to the days of horse-drawn engines.
After also adding a third ambulance and an SUV in recent years, the MVFD was able to acquire its first new fire engine in 12 years thanks to a multi-year fundraising effort that saw “hundreds” of residents mail in donations and purchase raffle tickets or holiday ornaments, among other campaigns, according to Moynihan.
“We’re grateful for the loyal community that’s always here for us,” she said.
The engine’s approximately $1 million cost was split between the volunteer fire department, which covered about 55%, and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD).
To cover its share of the price tag, MVFD organized its own fundraisers and benefitted from ones hosted by community groups, such as the Women’s Club of McLean and residents of the neighboring Palladium condominiums. A $75,000 contribution from the Patricia A. Henriques Charitable Foundation in 2024 represented the largest single donation in the department’s history.
The new fire engine is now in service as MVFD’s primary frontline apparatus for career staff, the first one dispatched to a call, while the older, existing engine, now named E401Bravo, will be staffed by volunteers as a backup.
“By having two engines here, we’re going to have an immediate backup available to any staff that may need it, as well as volunteers that may be able to staff it and that kind of thing,” MVFD Assistant Chief Cody Collins explained to FFXnow after the push-in ceremony. “But by having a different-aged fleet overall, we’re going to be able to better protect [for emergencies] because we’ll have additional apparatus ready to roll out the door at any moment for that.”
According to Collins, the new engine was custom-built for the McLean department’s needs. In addition to a 750-gallon tank that provides an increased water supply without the need for a hydrant, it features a short wheelbase, low hose beds and safety features, including camera systems that will make operating the vehicle easier for drivers.
The short wheelbase — the distance between the front and rear wheel axles — will be “especially helpful on highway incidents, small driveways, anything like that,” Collins says. Low hose beds will also enable firefighters to deploy hose lines quicker.
The additional capacity is especially welcome in McLean, which is the busiest of Fairfax County’s 12 fire stations supplemented by volunteers.
“McLean volunteers as a whole, in terms of primary staffing of the vehicle, whether it’s a technician, driver, engineer, and a unit officer or … medic, we have staffed the most [calls] so far this year,” Collins said.
That level of activity has fortunately been matched by a “healthy increase” in volunteers over the years, Moynihan says. The 85 volunteers currently based at the McLean station (1455 Laughlin Avenue) stand in contrast to the recruiting struggles reported by some of the county’s other volunteer fire departments.
Collins and Moynihan noted that MVFD will sometimes borrow an engine from other departments, such as those in Vienna or Franconia, and an engine might be staffed with volunteers from several different stations based on who’s available and where the need is greatest at any given time.
Having a second engine will give MVFD more flexibility to provide additional coverage to other parts of Fairfax County where staff might be stretched thin, according to Collins.
“We’ll go and provide additional support in those areas,” he said. “So, a lot of the movements in the county as a system are very data-driven, and where they’re sending us is very strategic, based off of data models that the county has been amazing in providing us and steering us in the right direction to provide that service.”
While celebrating its new engine, the volunteer fire department is already preparing for its next addition: another ambulance that’s expected to arrive in mid-2027, replacing the oldest one in the fleet.
According to Collins, obtaining an ambulance is typically a five-year process, but the previous acquisition was “complicated” by the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed its delivery until February 2024. The new ambulance is on order now and will provide the “newest, most reliable equipment available” to MVFD’s staff.
The department’s goal is to have three available transport units at all times.
“We’re still looking at potential other volunteer departments in the system that could use the rig that we will be retiring, so that’s something we still need to get the details on,” Collins said. “But ultimately, it’ll go to another place that will value it just as much as we have here.”
