fire department | ARLnow.com

Power Could Remain Out Until Saturday, For Some

Published January 27, 2011 at 3:52PM | Updated January 27, 2011 at 5:50PM

Dominion has been out in force, working furiously to restore service to the thousands of customers who lost power last night. As of 3:45 p.m., the number without power in Arlington has been cut to 6,700 — down from 16,700 last night.

Most Dominion customers in Arlington should have their power restored at some point tonight. Still, Dominion says 10 percent of affected customers will have to wait until Friday night for the lights to come back on. And the company doesn’t expect to have power restored to all Northern Virginia customers until Saturday.

News

Emergency Vehicle Preemption, Fiber Optic Line Approved

By ARLnow.com

Published January 24, 2011 at 9:35AM

The board awarded a $651,000 contract to install an emergency vehicle preemption system along the entire Arlington stretch of Lee Highway. The system will allow emergency vehicles to get an automatic green light at approaching intersections, thus reducing travel times and enhancing safety.

“Emergency vehicle preemption technology is critical to saving lives by giving responders safe, speedy passage through intersections and cutting precious minutes off the time it takes to get patients to life-saving care at a hospital,” Arlington Fire Chief James Schwartz said in a statement.

News

Chain Bridge Road Shut Down

By ARLnow.com

Published January 21, 2011 at 1:03PM | Updated July 12, 2017 at 2:16PM

Chain Bridge Road is expected to remain shut down for the next half an hour as firefighters work to rescue a man trapped in a van that knocked over a utility pole.

Initial reports suggest the driver of a delivery van knocked over a utility pole while backing out of a driveway on the 100 block of Chain Bridge Road, just north of Chain Bridge. Live power lines fell on the van, trapping the driver inside.

News

Lee Highway to Get Emergency Vehicle Preemption System

By ARLnow.com

Published January 17, 2011 at 9:25AM

The system would improve the response times of emergency responders by preemptively turning traffic lights red for conflicting traffic in the path of an emergency vehicle.

The $563,902 contract, which includes an $87,384 cost overage contingency, would install the EVP system at 31 traffic signals on Lee Highway. The federal government is providing most of the funding for the project, with Arlington County chipping in about $130,000.

News

Workers Injured from Fall at Ballston Construction Site

By ARLnow.com

Published January 11, 2011 at 11:33AM | Updated January 11, 2011 at 12:42PM

(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) Two workers have been injured after reportedly falling 10-15 feet at the Founders Square construction site in Ballston.

Initial reports suggested the workers were conscious and responsive, suffering from shoulder, neck and back injuries. They were transported via ambulance to a local hospital. The injuries are said to be non-life threatening.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Are You Working Over Christmas?

By ARLnow.com

Published December 23, 2010 at 8:38AM

We just wanted to take a quick moment to thank everybody who will be working over the Christmas holiday.

From emergency personnel to military service members to media workers to retail and service employees, here’s to the dedicated men and women who will be protecting, informing and serving us while much of the community is opening presents and spending time with family.

News

Fire at the Carlton Condos on Four Mile Run Drive

By ARLnow.com

Published December 21, 2010 at 1:19PM | Updated December 21, 2010 at 2:34PM

Firefighters are on the scene of a fire on the second floor of the Carlton condominium at 4600 South Four Mile Run Drive.

Firefighters are reporting that there was a kitchen fire in one of the units. The blaze is now under control, we hear.

Around Town

Fire Lane Complaints? Send in the Tow Trucks

By ARLnow.com

Published December 21, 2010 at 9:21AM

A large apartment complex on the eastern end of Columbia Pike sent the following email to residents yesterday, in response to complaints from the county.

One building in the complex is prone to false fire alarms, particularly when the power goes out.

News

Board Approves Bond Issue for Construction Projects

By ARLnow.com

Published December 13, 2010 at 7:01AM

On Saturday the board unanimously approved up to $15 million in bonds to fund the last phases of the Cherrydale Fire Station 3 project ($7.5 million), the initial construction of the Arlington Mill Community Center ($5 million), and the construction of a new park at the Buckingham Village 1 apartment complex ($850,000).

The projects were previously approved as part of the county’s Capital Improvement Programs.

News

Fire Department In ‘Heavy Recruitment Mode’ as Retirements Loom

By ARLnow.com

Published November 30, 2010 at 2:09PM

On Friday, about 15 recruits are expected to graduate from Arlington’s fire academy and enter service as probationary firefighters. Next year, the department expects another 40 recruits to make their way through the academy.

The new recruits will help to make up for retirements and a wave of attrition that occurred during better economic times, when a number of Arlington firefighters were lured to departments in the outer suburbs.

News

Obligatory Turkey Fryer Inferno Video

By ARLnow.com

Published November 24, 2010 at 8:53AM

Every year around this time, fire departments around the country take to the airwaves to remind the public that turkey fryers are incredibly dangerous and will probably catch your house on fire if you ever use one.

News

Officials Tout 911 Texting Technology

By ARLnow.com

Published November 23, 2010 at 3:44PM | Updated November 23, 2010 at 11:53PM

County public safety leaders held a press conference with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski this morning to discuss next-generation 911 services, which “will one day enable consumers to send text messages, videos and photos to 911 call centers via broadband applications.”

“The current 911 system is efficient and reliable… but [it] doesn’t support the communications tools of tomorrow, Genachowski said, pointing out that 70 percent of all 911 calls now come from mobile phones.