Membership Process Frequently Asked Questions

Information Sessions are held on the 2nd Monday of every month at 7:00 pm in the upstairs Meeting Hall at Fire Station 6 (6950 Little Falls Rd; Arlington, VA 22213). Meetings are typically not scheduled around holidays.

To get to the Meeting Hall:

• Enter from the front ramp
• Go through glass doors
• Go through the next door
• Go up the stairs
• At the top of the stairs, go to your left to enter the Meeting Hall

Yes! We have many Administrative volunteers that help with mission-critical tasks such as management of our Department's Finances, Supplies, Public Education, Compliance, Recruiting, and Apparatus. Administrative members are required to serve a minimum of 50 hours per year.

Once you have completed Orientation, an EMT Program and Recruit school, all Operational members are required to:

• Provide 12 hours per month of Standby Staffing on an Apparatus
• Complete 6 hours per month of Training or Continuing Education
• Attend Regular Meetings (held the 2nd Monday of every month, typically 1 hour)
• Attend Training Meetings (held the 4th Monday and 3rd Thursday or every month, which count towards Training requirement, above, typically 2-3 hours)
• Support on-going Administrative functions (like Life Safety Education, Recruiting & Fundraising)

Yes. We invest a lot of time and resources to get our members ready to be first responders. We ask that new members commit to at least 2 years of service after joining.

Yes. Individuals must be 18 years or older to become a member.

Yes. We are unable to take in members who spend most of the year working / living elsewhere and only return to the DMV / Falls Church area for short portions of the year. We do, however, have a formal process for requesting Leave of Absence should an unexpected life event arise which will take you away from the area.

No experience required! Our members come from all backgrounds with the full range of training and experience. If you have never done anything like this before, we will provide all the training and equipment needed to become an Operational EMT.

After completing your application package and getting voted into membership, you will complete the following (Administrative members only complete Section 1, below):

1. Complete Department Orientation which consists of the following training:
   • History of our Department
   • Rules and Expectations
   • CPR & First Aid (for those that don't already have it)
   • HIPAA Awareness
   • Harassment & Discrimination Awareness
2. NFPA Physical Exam - Ensures you are medically fit to join in operations
3. EMT-Basic Training - Provided by a local training program, eligible for reimbursement by the Department (for those that are not already certified)
4. FCVFD Recruit Program - In-house training to
   • ACFD Medical Protocols
   • Communications
   • Safety
   • Equipment
   • Driving Overview

After completing Orientation, your Physical Exam, EMT Program and Recruit School, you are able to begin staffing our apparatus.

After completing our Recruit Program, you will be eligible to begin your Driver Training, which consists of:

1. 60 hours of mandatory staffing on an ACFD Transport Unit
2. 60 hours of mandatory staffing on an FCVFD Transport Unit
3. Emergency Vehicle Operator Course
4. On-the-job training to be eligible for promotion to Driver

After being promoted to Driver, you are eligible to begin training to become a BLS-P. Training involves on-the-job training with an operations Lieutenant, Captain, or Chief to be signed off and promoted to BLS-P.

While the FCVFD has several Paramedic as members of our Department, we do not allow our members to practice at the Paramedic level.

Our Operational members get the satisfaction of helping our community by providing life-saving care in emergencies, from performing CPR to stabilizing patients after accidents. As a volunteer EMT, you’ll gain hands-on clinical experience and access to extensive training.

Additionally, all members are eligible for:

• EMS Tuition Reimbursement
• Free Uniforms
• Free Training
• Access to our fitness facilities