Community Services

Come and see where your fire department lives. A tour is a guided walk through Station 3 with the volunteers who crew it — the trucks are open, questions are welcome, and nobody is in a hurry.

• ›See Engine 3 and the rest of the fleet up close, inside and out
• ›Meet the volunteers who respond when you call 911
• ›A firefighter suits up in full turnout gear and air pack, so children learn that the figure who may one day come for them is a neighbour, not a monster
• ›Time for questions from adults and children alike

Free. We are an all-volunteer department and emergency calls always take priority — if the tones drop during your visit the crew responds immediately, and we will gladly finish the tour another day.

We come to you. BVFD firefighters give fire prevention and life-safety talks at schools, workplaces, churches, and community meetings anywhere in our coverage area.

• ›Smoke alarm placement, testing, and when to replace the unit
• ›Building and practising a home escape plan with two ways out of every room
• ›Stop, drop, and roll and other fundamentals for younger audiences
• ›Kitchen, heating, and electrical fire prevention for adult audiences
• ›How to use a fire extinguisher and, just as importantly, when not to

Free. Content is pitched to the age and interests of your group — tell us who we are speaking to and we will tailor it.

A hands-on certification course taught by BVFD-certified instructors. Survival from cardiac arrest falls with every minute that passes before compressions begin, and in a rural service area like ours the person who starts CPR is almost always a bystander rather than a first responder.

• ›Chest compressions and rescue breaths, practised on manikins rather than watched on a screen
• ›Using an automated external defibrillator (AED) confidently and safely
• ›Recognizing cardiac arrest and choking, and what to do about each
• ›You receive a certification card on completion, typically valid for two years

Free. Suitable for workplace and volunteer certification requirements — mention your requirement in the request and we will confirm the class meets it before you attend.

Having a community event? Invite the fire department. An apparatus on display and a couple of firefighters to talk to turns a good local event into a memorable one, and quietly puts fire-safety messages in front of people who would never attend a safety talk.

• ›Apparatus display with crew on hand to answer questions
• ›Fire safety information for families
• ›A chance for children to meet firefighters in a relaxed setting

Free, and subject to staffing and call volume on the day. Give us as much notice as you can so we can plan crew availability.

At two in the morning, in the rain, on an unlit rural road, a reflective address number is the difference between an engine finding you in seconds and driving past your driveway twice. Around Lake Anna especially — long driveways, similar-looking properties, few streetlights — this is one of the most practical things a household can do for its own safety.

• ›Reflective sign, numbered on both sides, readable in headlights from a distance
• ›Mounted vertically or horizontally to suit your post or driveway
• ›$20 for a four-digit number, $25 for five digits
• ›Optional mounting bracket +$3; mailed to you +$8, or collect free from the station

This is the one service that is not free — the charge covers the sign itself. Order it through the request form below.

If what you need is not on this list, ask anyway. Fire-safety questions rarely arrive in tidy categories, and we would far rather answer a question than respond to the fire that follows it.

• ›Questions about a specific hazard at your home or business
• ›Help understanding a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm that keeps sounding
• ›Advice on outdoor burning — see also our outdoor burning guide
• ›Anything else safety related