Join Us as a Volunteer Today!
Start the process in advance by choosing whether you wish to become an Operational Firefighter/EMT or Associate Administrative Member and filling out the online application by clicking one of the links below.
- Operational Firefighter/EMT Application – Click HERE!
- Associate Administrative Member Application – Click HERE!
Once applications are received, PVFC will contact the candidates to set up an interview, check references, and start the process to conduct criminal history, finger printing and driving history checks which are all required by Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System and PVFC. Prospective operational members must also complete a NFPA 1582 physical examination with is provided free of charge by the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System and PVFC. Once everything is completed, all member candidates should plan on attending the monthly membership meeting which is the second Monday of each month at 7:00pm where you will be introduced to our membership and officially join the company!
Orientation and PVFC Cleared to Ride Classes
After completing the application process and being accepted as a member by the Board of Directors and our membership, all members (operational and administrative) must attend Loudoun County Orientation. Operational recruit members will also attend our Cleared-to-Ride training process which is a four-week program held on Wednesday evenings starting at 7pm. This training includes station history, station procedures, communications, apparatus familiarization, equipment familiarization, and ambulance operations. After completion of the Cleared-to-Ride training, all operational recruit members are issued their gear and assigned a duty crew.
Duty Crews for Operational Members
After completing the Loudoun County Orientation and Cleared-to-Ride training, all our operational recruit members are assigned a duty Crew. These duty crews rotate each week, Sunday through Monday, where volunteer operational members live at the station from 6pm to 6am to do training, public education, and respond to emergency calls. This also allows our operational members to bond together and become part of the firefighting family.
Required Training for Operational Members
All operational recruit members are required to complete both firefighter training and EMS courses to become a minimum staffing eligible as a volunteer firefighter/EMT for PVFC and the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System (LC-CFRS). These classes are all free of charge and taught at the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue training center in Leesburg. Training can be completed in any order, but both are required.
- Firefighter certification training is held twice a year (January and July) and is approximately six-months long with classes being held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 6:00pm – 10pm and every other Saturday from 8am – 4pm.
Fire training will consist of Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Hazardous Materials Operations, Mayday Firefighter Down/Technician, and Liquid Propane Gas Emergencies. These classes will be combined classroom study and practical scenarios and, upon completion of the course and passing the written and practical examinations, students will become Virginia State (Pro Board) Certified Firefighters.
- Emergency Medical Technician certification training is held three times a year (Spring, Summer, and Fall) and is approximately three- to four-months long with classes being held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 6:00pm – 10pm and every other Sunday from 8am – 4pm.
EMT training includes classroom study, practical scenarios with patient contacts being acquired either through clinical rotations in a hospital emergency room or on emergency calls while running duty crew. Upon completing the course and passing the written and practical examinations, students will become a National Registry AND Virginia State Certified Emergency Medical Technician to be able to practice under the license of the Loudoun County EMS Medical director.
Graduation from Rookie Firefighter to Minimum Staffing Firefighter/EMT
- Operational recruit members who successfully complete EMT class will have the necessary skills to function as an EMT but must complete their Loudoun County Skills Verification to be released to practice as an EMT in Loudoun County. This skills verification can be completed in class or while on their duty crew and provides a reasonable degree of assurance that EMTs who are released as entry-level EMTs have been monitored and trained in the wide range of skills that are conducive for proper patient care.
- Operational recruit members that have successfully completed firefighter certification training will have the necessary basic skills to function as released firefighters. Before being released as a firefighter, recruits must complete their probationary manual and demonstrate a defined list of skills to be issued a black helmet and considered firefighters.
- When both firefighter certification and EMT certification are completed, a member will become qualified as a minimum staffing firefighter/EMT.
If you would like more information or have questions about becoming a volunteer firefighter/EMT or associate administrative member with Purcellville Volunteer Company, you can email us at onboarding@purcellvillefire.org.