Fairfax County’s volunteer fire departments are persevering in an era of change, local leaders were told earlier this week.
The current situation can be summed up as “good,” but “nothing is ever just a one-word answer,” Shawn Stokes, chair of the seven-member Volunteer Fire Commission, said when delivering the organization’s annual report to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Stokes said the past year has been both “encouraging and challenging” as the volunteer departments and the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association work to develop long-term strategies.
The relationship between member departments and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department “has been excellent,” Stokes said. But the coming year is likely to see the retirement of both Fire Chief John Butler and Thomas Arnold, deputy county executive for public safety, he said.
In addition, the upcoming Board of Supervisors’ elections in 2027 could bring in new elected officials who will have to be educated about the role and impact of the county’s 12 volunteer departments.
“It’s a lot of moving parts,” said Stokes, who serves with the Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Department. “We don’t want to be overlooked or left behind.”
The 2026 report builds on previous remarks made by Stokes to supervisors in recent years:
- In 2024, he said that recruiting and retention of volunteer members was looking up after years of concern
- In 2025, however, he expressed concern about the long-term viability of some of the volunteer departments, coupled with the increasing cost of equipment
Fairfax’s volunteer fire departments typically own one or more fire stations and work collaboratively with professional firefighters. Prior to establishment of the county fire department in 1949, volunteers were the exclusive provider of fire and, in some cases, emergency medical services in the county.
The annual report to supervisors also includes a presentation of annual awards to volunteer firefighters. Among those honored this year was Sebastian Herbolsheimer with the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, who was named Firefighter of the Year for his “skill, humility and a willingness to help others.”
All told, the volunteer departments have more than 350 operational members who are eligible to go out on calls and supported by administrative members.
