Congratulations to the Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department (OWL) on its 85th Anniversary. It was an honor to participate in the celebration and installation of officers this past weekend, and to have a chance to personally thank the firefighters and their support team for all that they do to make our community safer.
At its inception, OWL was the only fire department between Alexandria and Fredericksburg. An article in Prince William Living notes that the department was spearheaded by concerned citizens, “Many of them put up personal property and their own money to secure loans to build a building to house the apparatus and start the department. Sometimes they had to pass the hat to pay electric and other bills.”
Today, OWL operates three stations in eastern PWC and is one of the busiest departments in the nation. Its members staffed nearly 4,000 hours last month, with #Firefighter Michael Muldoon logging the most time on-duty: 119.5 hours. Learn more about this community-centered organization, including how you can join, at https://owlvfd.org/.