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Roanoke County (VA)

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Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Department

Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Patch

Roanoke County Fire & Rescue is a combination fire and rescue department. That means they are a department made up of paid career firefighters and paramedics as well as volunteer firefighters and EMTs. Roanoke County is the largest combination fire and rescue department in the state of Virginia west of Richmond. The department operates out of 13 fire and rescue stations and one main administrative office and is responsible for providing fire and rescue coverage to an area of 250 square miles and a population of over 92,000 people. The department has 150 career personnel and approximately 250 active volunteers. These volunteers, consisting of both firefighters and EMTs, volunteer at all but two of Roanoke County's 13 fire and rescue stations. The department was founded in 1986. Up until then, most of the stations that currently make up Roanoke County Fire & Rescue were their own individual volunteer fire and rescue companies that covered their first due area of the county.


Roanoke County Fire Stations

Roanoke County Fire & Rescue's 13 stations are strategically located across the county to serve its citizens. Most stations have a 12-hour career shift from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday, with volunteers serving on week nights from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am, and 24 hours on weekends and most holidays.

Stations and Apparatus

Station 1 - North County Fire & Rescue

Station is career staffed full time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

  • Wagon 1
  • Medic 1
  • Utility 1

Station 2 - Vinton Fire & Rescue

Company 2 and Rescue 2 are divided into their own separate, but connected buildings. Vinton's stations are co-owned by Roanoke County and the Town of Vinton. They are located in the Town of Vinton, but they receive some apparatus and their station number from Roanoke County. Vinton is dispatched by Roanoke County to calls in both jurisdictions. One ambulance is career staffed full time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue and the Town of Vinton.

  • Wagon 2
  • Engine 2
  • Ladder 2
  • Brush 2
  • Utility 2


  • Medic 21
  • Medic 22
  • Medic 23
  • Squad 2
  • Boat 2
  • Car 20

Station 3 - Cave Spring Fire & Rescue

Company 3 and Rescue 3 are divided into their own separate stations and operate as two separate entities. Rescue 3 is the only all volunteer rescue squad in Roanoke County. Two ambulances are career staffed part time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue during the 12 hour shifts during the week days and are run out of the fire station. Two ambulances are brought to the fire station during these hours and are taken back to the rescue station when the volunteers come on duty. The rescue station is not staffed during the week day hours. The rescue station is exclusively staffed by volunteers on week nights, weekends and on most holidays.

  • Wagon 3
  • Engine 3
  • Ladder 3
  • Tanker 3
  • Brush 3
  • Utility 3


  • Medic 31
  • Medic 32
  • Medic 33
  • Squad 3
  • Car 30

Station 4 - Catawba Fire & Rescue

Ambulance is career staffed part time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

  • Wagon 4
  • Tanker 4
  • Brush 4
  • Medic 4
  • Utility 4

Station 5 - Hollins Fire & Rescue

Wagon and one ambulance are career staffed full time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

  • Wagon 5
  • Engine 5
  • Ladder 5
  • Medic 51
  • Medic 52
  • Medic 53
  • Utility 5
  • Investigation 1
  • Fire Safety Trailer

Station 6 - Mount Pleasant Fire & Rescue

Ambulance is career staffed full time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

  • Wagon 6
  • Tanker 6
  • Brush 6
  • Medic 6
  • Utility 6

Station 7 - Clearbrook Fire & Rescue

Station is career staffed full time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

  • Wagon 7
  • Brush 7
  • HTR 7
  • Medic 7
  • Utility 7

Station 8 - Bent Mountain Fire & Rescue

One ambulance is career staffed part time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

  • Wagon 8
  • Tanker 8
  • Brush 8
  • Medic 81
  • Medic 82
  • Squad 8
  • Utility 8

Station 9 - Fort Lewis Fire & Rescue

Both ambulances are career staffed full time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

  • Wagon 9
  • Engine 9
  • Tower 9
  • Tanker 9
  • Brush 9
  • Air 9
  • Medic 91
  • Medic 92
  • Squad 9
  • Utility 9

Station 10 - Masons Cove Fire & Rescue

Rescue 10 is a joint rescue squad between the Masons Cove and Catawba stations that operates as one entity. Rescue 10 is dispatched to both first due areas. One ambulance is career staffed full time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

  • Wagon 10
  • Engine 10
  • Tanker 10
  • Attack 10
  • Medic 101
  • Medic 102
  • Squad 10
  • Boat 10
  • Utility 10
  • Car 104

Station 11 - Back Creek Fire & Rescue

Engine and ambulance are career staffed full time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

  • Wagon 11
  • Engine 11
  • Attack 11
  • Brush 11
  • Medic 11
  • Utility 11

Station 12 - Read Mountain Fire & Rescue

Station 12 is co-owned by Roanoke County and Botetourt County. Station 12 is located in Botetourt County, but receives its station number, apparatus and personnel from Roanoke County. Read Mountain is dispatched to calls by both jurisdictions. One ambulance is career staffed part time by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

  • Wagon 12
  • Engine 12
  • Utility 12
  • Brush 12
  • Medic 12-1 (Known as "Medic 12-7" when running calls in Botetourt County and staffed with career medics)
  • Medic 12-2
  • Car 12

Roanoke County Unit Designations

All Roanoke County stations number their units after their home station's number.

  • Format: Medic / Rescue Station Unit #
  • Desc: ALS / BLS #
  • Example: Medic 53
  • For example "Medic 53" is an ALS staffed ambulance from station 5 (Hollins)
  • And "Rescue 33" is a BLS staffed ambulance from station 3 (Cave Spring)

Other units are specialty units that roam around the County or are based at the Public Safety Center; usually battalion chiefs and EMS captains.

Replace "#" with the station number.

  • Chief 1 - Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Chief
  • Division Chief 1,2,3,4 - Division Chiefs
  • Battalion 1 - On-Duty Battalion Chief
  • EMS 1 - EMS Battalion Chief
  • EMS 2 - On-Duty EMS Captain
  • FM 1,2,3,4 - Fire Marshals
  • Chaplain 1,2 - Chaplains
  • Air 9 - Mobile air bottle refill truck
  • HTR 7 - Heavy Technical Rescue truck
  • Investigation 1 - Fire investigation unit
  • Engine 9 - Reserve engine that covers for other engines that are out of service
  • Chief # - Chief of a Volunteer Fire Company
  • Chief #50 - Chief of a Volunteer Rescue Squad
  • Wagon # - Primary response fire engine
  • Engine # - Primary response fire engine
  • Ladder # - Aerial ladder truck
  • Tower # - Aerial platform truck
  • Tanker # - Tanker truck that holds 1,000 gallons of water or more
  • Attack # - Brush truck
  • Brush # - Brush truck
  • Squad # - Medium or heavy duty vehicle rescue truck
  • Medic # - ALS staffed ambulance with an EMT-I or Paramedic
  • Rescue # - BLS staffed ambulance with an EMT-B or EMT-E
  • Utility # - Personnel response vehicle
  • Car # - Personnel response vehicle

Roanoke County Call Types

  • Fire Call - Emergency fire call (Ex. Structure fire, fire alarm, vehicle fire, brush fire, vehicle accident, gas leak etc.)
  • Fire Service Call - Non-emergency fire call (Ex. Water leak, lifting assistance, vehicle break downs etc.)
  • Medical (ALS) - Emergency Advanced Life Support call
  • Medical (BLS) - Emergency Basic Life Support call
  • Medical Service Call - Non-emergency medical call (Ex. Assist patient upstairs, subject fallen etc.)
  • ALS-Critical - Emergency Advanced Life Support + Critical Patient call (Ex. Code Blue, other life or death situation)