The Remington Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department was first established on March 3, 1942. Its first firehouse was located on East Main Street in downtown Remington. With just a handful of initial volunteers, the tiny department began to meet the needs of residents in the southern Fauquier County, Virginia area.
The department’s first fire engine was actually hand-built by its first Fire Chief and Founder William Edwin “Eddie” Andes, with salvaged vehicle parts and a lot of ingenuity. Later, the department purchased its first “official” piece of fire apparatus — A used 1927 Brockway fire engine — for $1,400. Just like today, all of the RVFD’s trucks and equipment are purchased with funds raised by the department. While the County of Fauquier provides a large portion of the department’s operating expenses from county tax revenues, volunteers still fund the purchase of all equipment and facilities with an ongoing fundraising program.
In 1952, the community and members of what was then called the “Remington Volunteer Fire Department” saw a need for emergency medical services, and the department purchased its first ambulance. To reflect its wider mission, the department became known as the Remington Volunteer Fire and Rescue, providing both fire fighting and emergency medical services.
With the addition of more equipment, the department outgrew its original building and began the construction of a new facility to meet its needs for years to come. In the spring of 1954, the department moved into the new facility at its current location on East Madison Street.
In the 1967 the Remington Lions Club generously donated a new ambulance to the department, and more equipment was added as the growing department raised the funds.
In 2007, the RVFRD broke ground on an addition and renovation to its current building, which officially opened for service on June 27, 2009. The spacious addition to the building houses nine vehicle (apparatus) bays, two training rooms and the company’s administrative offices. The original part of the building, which was fully renovated, contains the department’s banquet hall, radio room, and four bunk rooms that can sleep sixteen members.
