A Historical Review: 1942-1999
The 1940's
The 1950's
The 1960's
The 1970's
The 1980's
The 1990's
Prepared by Andrew T. Eastman
The 1940's
The story of Dunn Loring began with sixteen men meeting at the
residence of Mr. Merle Clifford on May 11, 1942. Their purpose was to gain
support for the formation of a new fire company to serve the community. It
was at this meeting that votes were cast in favor of the initiative. Impromptu
elections were held to appoint temporary officers and Merle Clifford was
elected the first President and Chief. The bylaws used by the Vienna Volunteer
Fire Department were adopted and the Dunn Loring Auxiliary Fire Company came
into being.
In those days, the County of Fairfax required any organization desiring to
be an independent fire department to have a firehouse and two fire engines.
Lacking all of the above, the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department agreed to
sponsor Dunn Loring until the time came that the requisite resources could be
obtained. Thus Dunn Loring was to be known as an auxiliary fire company to the
Vienna Volunteer Fire Department.
To help Dunn Loring get started, Vienna loaned a pickup truck for their use.
In 1943, after many efforts to secure a fire engine the Civil Defense
Administration donated the company’s first fire engine, a Chevrolet. Since the
company did not have a building to house the pumper, President Clifford
volunteered to house it in his service station, Clifford’s Garage, located
at Route 7 & Dunn Loring Road (now Old Gallows Road).
Later that year in October, Mr. G. Albert Merry donated a parcel of land to
the members of Dunn Loring located at the intersection of Gallows Road and
Hunter Road (now known as Cedar Lane). It was also during that month’s
membership meeting that the first discussion occurred regarding a ladies club
to help support the fire company. This was to later be known as the Dunn Loring
Ladies Auxiliary. In November the company made its first purchase, a fire engine.
Nearly a year later the work began on the first firehouse. In 1944, a cistern
and well were added to provide water for the tanks onboard the fire engines.
In April of 1945, another major milestone was reached when an agreement was
signed with the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company to provide direct
telephone connection to the siren mounted above the firehouse. This service
allowed a relay to trip the siren calling the volunteers to service.
The first record of the total number of fire calls surfaced in the minutes
of the December 1944 membership meeting. Fifty alarms were rung out of which
twenty-one occurred in March alone. It was reported that an average of seven
men responded to each call with an average of 250 volunteer hours per
firefighter for the year.
By the summer of 1946, the ranks of the company had increased to 100 members.
Efforts began to secure a second pumper for the company thus providing Dunn
Loring the opportunity to become an independent department. By January of 1947,
the process was completed and a charter was sent to the State Corporate
Commission in Richmond for approval. The Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Department,
Incorporated, had entered a new phase of its life. In October the new Maxim
X-50 fire pumper arrived bringing the compliment of apparatus up to two fire
engines. This new state-of-the-art pumper had a 500-gpm pump and was built on
a GMC chassis.
It was in February of 1948 that the first mention of paid firefighters was
recorded. The Board of Trustees of the fire company voted in support of a
proposal to place a paid firefighter in every station in the county. Over a
year later, Anton Groff, a member of the department was selected from a pool
of three candidates to be the first paid firefighter stationed at the Dunn
Loring Volunteer Fire Department (DLVFD). He worked from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00
p.m. Monday through Saturday each week with Sundays off and seven paid holidays
for a salary of $2,520.00.
On June 19, 1948, the ladies of the department made the important decision to
form as a separate organization under the charter of the department and thus
the Dunn Loring Ladies Auxiliary came to be. At a meeting held at Mrs. Merle
Clifford’s house, bylaws were adopted and the first officers elected. Mrs.
Alma Groff was elected as their first president. It was the intent of the
twenty-two founding members to create a support organization to raise money
for the department and to plan recreational activities. As a result of their
early efforts, the auxiliary helped to purchase the department’s first
ambulance, a 1937 Packard LaSalle, and a new fire engine. They also
contributed monies to install a drainage field and septic tank for the firehouse.
By 1949, the number of fire calls had risen to 139, up from 98 the year before.
The department was under new leadership after the resignation of Merle Clifford,
due to his relocation out of the area. President Clifford, the founding father
of Dunn Loring was made president emeritus and bestowed with life membership.
More History: The 1950's