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The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department received two Governor’s Fire Service Awards for advancing electric-vehicle fire training and helping rescue firefighters trapped after a deadly Sterling home explosion.
The annual awards, established in 2002, are presented by Virginia’s governor in partnership with the Virginia Department of Fire Programs and the Virginia Fire Services Board.
Fairfax County earned the Excellence in Virginia Fire Service Training award for its role in developing an online awareness course about electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries. The work followed 2024 Virginia House Bill 2451, which directed the Virginia Department of Fire Programs to create training on the risks of electric-vehicle fires and how emergency crews can manage them safely and effectively.
The recognized work group included Loudoun Battalion Chief Jasen Dodson, the committee chair; Fairfax Deputy Chief William Vannoy, co-chair; Virginia Department of Fire Programs project manager Amanda Kennedy; Loudoun Captain Lawrence Lippincott; Fairfax Assistant Chief John Walser; and Chesterfield County Battalion Chief Richard Grassel.
After extensive research and collaboration, the group produced Virginia’s first mandated fire-service training course. The effort expanded preparation for electric-vehicle and lithium-ion battery emergencies across the state.
Fairfax County also shared the Outstanding Career Fire Department Response award with the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System for their actions following the Feb. 16, 2024, explosion on Silver Ridge Drive in Sterling.
Loudoun Engine 618 and Truck 611 were investigating a gas leak inside and outside the home when a catastrophic explosion occurred. Sterling Volunteer Fire Company firefighter Trevor Brown was killed in the line of duty, and 11 other firefighters were injured.
Two firefighters became trapped in the basement beneath burning debris and issued mayday calls. Fairfax Battalion Chief Matt Burns and Rescue 439 members Lt. Michael Kovach, Lt. David Bulman, Technician Adam Sheetz and Technician David Feder joined Loudoun Rescue 635 in tunneling through the debris.
The crews successfully removed both trapped firefighters, an operation recognized for its extraordinary courage, coordination and teamwork amid the burning wreckage.