Lake of the Woods Volunteer Fire Department
International Firefighters' Day is observed annually on May 4th and is a time to recognize the contributions of firefighters not just within the United States, but worldwide.![]()
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“The role of a firefighter in today’s society – be it urban, rural, natural environment, volunteer, career, industrial, defense force, aviation, motor sport, or other is one of dedication, commitment and sacrifice – no matter what country we reside and work in. In the fire service we fight together against one common enemy – fire – no matter what country we come from, what uniform we wear or what language we speak.”![]()
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– Lieutenant JJ Edmondson, Founder of International Firefighters’ Day ![]()
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Today is the Eve of St. Florian Day who is the Patron Saint of Firefighters. Which makes tomorrow International Firefighter Day! It is not uncommon for a firefighter to evoke St. Florian by wearing a St. Florian medal, having a statue in their home, or even have a St. Florian tattoo. ![]()
So who is St. Florian? The website publicsafety.net gives a summary of his life and his importance to the fire service: ![]()
Florian was born in Austria in the 4th century about 250 A.D. in Cetium (Austria). St. Florian is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on May 4th, was an officer of the Roman army. He joined the Roman Army as a youth, and through hard work and determination... he advanced through the ranks. He advanced in the ranks and occupied a high administrative post in Noricum, now part of Austria. Emperor Diocletian and his assistant Maximian liked Florian because of his abilities to solve problems and work with people. They saw Florian as a man capable of handling heavy responsibilities. The saint suffered "death for the Faith" in the days of Diocletian. Although he became an officer of the Roman army, he didn't observe a "don't ask, don't tell" policy and confessed to his Christianity in anti-Christian times.![]()
The Emperor sent an assistant named Aquilius to the area controlled by Florian to kill all the Christians in the area, and to find out why Florian was not following orders. When he finally met up with Florian... he asked him why he refused to persecute the Christians to which Florian replied, "Tell the Emperor that I am a Christian and will suffer the same fate as the Christians." Aquilius then offered him a raise and promotion if he would change his mind. Florian refused. Aquilius was outraged and had his soldiers beat him with whips, yet Florian stood steadfast. He told Aquilius that he had suffered many wounds for the Emperor - why not a few scratches for his own beliefs? His courage scared Aquilius who feared that Florian would lead others to rebel. ![]()
It was for these reasons that the Emperor was shocked to learn that Florian was not following his order to punish all Christians in his area. This punishment included burning Christian churches and books, firing all Christians from their jobs, putting them in prison without good reason, and finally forcing them to sacrifice to the Roman gods. Florian did not carry out his orders to persecute all Christians in the area, and, thus, was sentenced to death by fire.![]()
His legendary "Acts" state that he gave himself up at Lorch to the soldiers of Aquilinus, and the governor of Lorch, when they were rounding up the Christians. Standing on the funeral pyre, Florian is reputed to have challenged the Roman soldiers to light the fire, saying "If you do, I will climb to heaven on the flames." Apprehensive to his words, instead of burning Florian, he was flogged and flayed after making the bold confession. Not willing to take a chance, Aquilius decided to drown Florian by tying a giant stone around his neck and throwing him into the river Enns. He was twice scourged, half-flayed alive, set on fire, and finally thrown into the river Enns with a stone around his neck. His body was later recovered by a pious woman, and he was buried honorably.![]()
About 600 years later, sometime between 900-955, a monastery was erected near Florian's tomb, and subsequently, the village of St. Florian grew up around it. His body recovered and was eventually removed to the Augustinian Abbey of St. Florian, near Linz. St. Florian was adopted as the patron saint of Poland after Pope Lucius III, in 1138, consented to the request of King Casimir of Poland and to the Bishop of Cracow, to send relics of Florian to that country. Since that time, St. Florian has been regarded as a patron of Poland as well as of Linz, Upper Austria, and of firemen. Soon after, a person was saved from a fire by invoking St. Florian's name. Since then, Florian has been invoked against fire and has generally been regarded in most countries as the patron saint of the fire service.
Sunday, April 18th marked the start of National Volunteer Week. Nationally this week is set aside to thank all the volunteer firefighters, EMS providers, and rescue workers working every day to keep their communities safe.![]()
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·Are you a Community Member, or Retiree, looking to give back? ![]()
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·An Athlete who misses being part of a team? ![]()
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·A Veteran who is looking for a new mission? ![]()
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·A Student/Graduate looking to add to your professional experience? ![]()
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See yourself with us. Apply today to join Lake of the Woods Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company.![]()
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Application | Lake of the Woods Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company (lowfr29.com)
On Saturday, April 17th Lake of the Woods Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company, along with The Licata Group, hosted a Community Shred Day event that also featured members of LOWVFR discussing Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and actions that the community may take to help mitigate the potential risks form wildfire/brush fires in our area. This event was a true success and resulted in over $2800 in donations for our volunteers and over 12,000 lbs. of documents safely and securely shredded. Thank you to The Licata Group and your team of real estate professionals for always being a champion for your local volunteer first responders.
On Saturday, April 17th Lake of the Woods Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company, along with many fellow community members, helped to recognize a hero among us with a truly memorable “Zionna's Wish Day.” It was such a wonderful day full of friends, family members, first responders and community members coming together to make her wish come true!![]()
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For those that may have missed it. Here is the link for the news story from CBS19 out of Charlottesville:![]()
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www.cbs19news.com/story/43692249/wishes-do-come-true
Join LOWVFR and the Licata Group on Saturday, April 17th between 11-2 PM for Community Shred Day at 36111 Goodwin Drive, Locust Grove, VA 22508. ![]()
This community risk reduction event is just in time for the end of tax season and will allow for the safe and secure shredding of personal documents.![]()
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We will also be using this event to talk to our extended community about actions they can take to mitigate their potential risk from wildfire/brush fires from impacting their homes. ![]()
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If you would like to learn more about local fire prevention and efforts that you can take around your home, please stop by the event for more information.
Lake of the Woods Volunteer Rescue Squad
Read about the implementation for NextGen911 and other core updates from Orange County Emergency Communications.
NextGen 911: Technology enhances emergency communications
starexponent.com
Orange County’s Emergency Communications Center is preparing to add powerful new features to its 911 services in the form of NextGen 911. The system allows dispatchers to receive texts, images,
Sunday, April 18th marked the start of National Volunteer Week. Nationally this week is set aside to thank all the volunteer firefighters, EMS providers, and rescue workers working every day to keep their communities safe.![]()
![]()
·Are you a Community Member, or Retiree, looking to give back? ![]()
![]()
·An Athlete who misses being part of a team? ![]()
![]()
·A Veteran who is looking for a new mission? ![]()
![]()
·A Student/Graduate looking to add to your professional experience? ![]()
![]()
See yourself with us. Apply today to join Lake of the Woods Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company.![]()
![]()
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Application | Lake of the Woods Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company (lowfr29.com)
Contact Us
Lake of the Woods Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Inc.
104 Lakeview Parkway
Locust Grove, VA 22508-2025
Fire Department: 540-972-7510
Rescue Squad: 540-972-7480
Emergency: 911
