A hot, sunny, rainy, cool 4th of July

The 4th of July in the Washington-area is like no other in the country, and this year was no different. The day started out hot and muggy, with temperatures in the mid-90's. A early evening downpour brought a serious amount of rain and hail, causing an evacuation of several traditional fireworks viewing areas in Arlinton, including the Iwo Jima memorial. Joe Lowry of the Cherrydale VFD joined members of the Falls Church and Ballston VFD's in providing EMS services along the George Washington Memorial Parkway from Theodore Roosevelt Island to Gravelly Point and up to the Iwo Jima memorial. While surprisingly no serious injuries were reported all day, it was an excellent day for a ride as a member of the EMS bike team.

CVFD to Fairfax County for flood relief

On Friday, June 30, 2006, four members of the Cherrydale VFD took time off of work in order to provide support to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units by assisting with flood recovery in the Huntington section of the county. Scott Pardi, Joe Lowry, Dee Allen and Ben Sorenson took Light and Air 103 and Utility 103 to the scene. That section of Fairfax had been under several feet of water following torential rains during the previous week. Cameron Run, a stream behind the nieghborhood, overflowed its banks and created flash flood conditions on Sunday and Monday. Residents who noticed an inch of water in their basements within minutes found 10 feet of water.

Outside of a few volunteer command officers, Cherrydale VFD fielded the only "working" team at the disaster site. The four members on the team provided heavy lifting, being tasked with removing appliances from flooded basements. The tally for the long day included 11 washers and dryers, one large freezer, one door (for disposal), a kiln, a dozen cinder blocks and some small shelving not to mention removing at least four other doors to allow room for appliance removal, one 4-drawer lateral file cabinet, several loads of debris, and landscaping timbers. We also provided lighting to several basements so other debris removing volunteers could operate.

Thanks go out to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department as well as the several volunteer fire departments we worked with during the day. They had a very well organized and professional operation going on. Also thanks to the Salvation Army for providing us with lunch.