Fire Station 8 Community Conversations Continue

PHOTO: Fire Station 8 meeting; photo courtesy of Arlington County

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It was standing room only Thursday, July 30 when Fire Chief James Schwartz and other senior County staff met with residents at the Langston-Brown Community Center to discuss the future of Fire Station No. 8 in the historic Hall’s Hill/High View neighborhood.

It was the third recent community meeting on relocating the station to a larger site north of Lee Highway to improve overall response times to six minutes to an additional 3,000 households Countywide and to accommodate additional firefighting vehicles for No. 8. This community meeting was held in the neighborhood that is home to the existing Fire Station No. 8.

“What impressed me was the passion that people have about their community, the history of the Hall’s Hill firehouse, the services we provide, their overwhelming support for their firefighters and paramedics, ” Schwartz said.

“The Hall’s Hill residents were extremely effective at communicating why Station No. 8 is so important to their community and its history. That understanding will be invaluable to us as we move forward,” said Dep. County Manager Carol Mitten. Mitten said residents spoke movingly of the void they believe the loss of the fire station would open in their community.

The County Board is to decide this fall on the location for a new Fire Station No. 8. Based on studies of response times and service areas, staff favor the salt dome site at 26th Street and Old Dominion Drive, which is already owned by the County.

Station No. 8 opened more than 50 years ago

The current station on Lee Highway opened in 1963 and is considered too old to renovate to modern standards. Station No. 8 has a rich history, dating back to the founding of the Hall’s Hill Volunteer Fire Department (HHVFD) in 1918.

The HHVFD was the first all-black run fire company south of the Mason-Dixon line. Paid County firemen were assigned to Station No. 8 in 1951, eleven years after paid crews began working other Arlington firehouses.

The County has been studying a possible relocation of Station No. 8 since 1999.

Current station cannot meet County’s needs

Schwartz told the gathering of some 150 residents that the current facility “doesn’t meet the needs” of today’s firefighters and, as a result, the Arlington first response system as a whole. He answered questions, sometimes heated, for about 90 minutes. Many of those opposed to moving Station No. 8 live close by. Some speakers, including former School Board member Frank Wilson, told stories of quick, excellent care from the crews of Station No. 8 during personal health scares.

Should the 26th Street site be chosen for a new Station No. 8, the Board has said it will incorporate a park of at least an acre at the new site, and will memorialize the existing Fire Station No. 8.

Staff will meet again with community members about Station No. 8 a t 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at Yorktown High School. For more information, visit the County website. You can also contact project lead George May at 703-228-4440 or gmay@arlingtonva.us