Reston Company Growing By Leaps and Bounds — The Reston-based media firm VideoBlocks is growing by such leaps and bounds that they will have to leave their longtime home in Reston for bigger digs in Arlington in 2017, CEO TJ Leonard said this week. The subscription-based company provides stock video footage, photos, music and other similar types of media, and has grown from six employees to 77, all while still occupying the same 7,500-square-foot office space. [DC Inno]
RA Calendar Moving to WebTrac in January — In just a few days, Reston Association’s new WebTrac system will be fully implemented. That means the calendar of events, usually viewable on RA’s main website, Reston.org, will be moved to WebTrac. Under “Events” on the RA website, visitors can now select “View RA Web Calendar.” Remember, you have to create a WebTrac account before you can make purchases or register for events via the new site. This can be done on the home page. [Reston Association]
More Than 36,000 Local Students Receive Donated School Supplies — This week, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) tweeted out a special thank-you to the local community for making it possible for more than 36,000 county students to receive much-needed school supplies, thanks to generous donations. The supplies were collected via FCPS’s “Collect For Kids” campaign. [Twitter/@FCPSnews]
Fairfax County Firefighters Learn Emergency Paramedic Skills — This week, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue shared a bit about the progress 11 local firefighters are making in the 10-month paramedic training they are taking part in. The 11 firefighters are learning emergency medical skills, and how to prepare for and respond to real-life emergency situations. Get an inside look at the training course and what they are learning on the department’s blog. [Fairfax County Fire & Rescue]
A house fire left two Herndon residents and their dogs without a home earlier this week.
The fire started at a two-story home on the 12200 block of Parkstream Terrace around 7:43 p.m. Monday, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said in a release today.
Firefighters contained the fire to the building’s second floor bedroom. Nobody was injured in the blaze, authorities said.
From Fairfax County Fire and Rescue:
Units arrived on scene to find a two-story, single family home with fire showing from the front. Two adult occupants and two dogs had safely evacuated before the fire department arrived. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire. The bulk of the fire was contained to a second floor bedroom with minor extension into the attic area.
The home had working smoke alarms. However, an occupant of the home smelled smoke and discovered the fire prior to the activation of the smoke alarms.
Two adults and two dogs have been displaced as a result of the fire. Red Cross assistance was offered and declined. There were no reported civilian or firefighter injuries.
Fire Investigators determined the fire originated in a second floor bedroom. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Damages are estimated at $93,750.00.
Photo courtesy of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue
A two-alarm fire forced two people out of their home in Herndon early this morning.
The fire broke out at a house on the 2500 block of Farmcrest Drive around 3:30 a.m., Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said.
Crews arrived on the scene to find flames coming out of a four-story building’s fourth floor balcony, according to a report from WUSA9. Crews were eventually able to contain the fire to the building’s upper floors.
Two people were displaced by the fire, authorities said. One person was taken to the hospital for a minor checkup.
File photo
A fire destroyed a home just north of Reston early yesterday morning.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews rushed to the 1000 block of Northfalls Court in Great Falls just after 2:30 a.m. on Sunday.
When firefighters arrived, they found a two-story home engulfed in flames. Nobody was inside the home during the blaze, the department said. Additionally, nobody was injured fighting the fire.
“Investigation into the fire determined that the fire started in a second floor bedroom area with the exact cause still under investigation,” Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said.
The $726,250 home is a complete loss.
Photo courtesy Fairfax County Fire and Rescue
The improper disposal of “smoking materials” caused a fire that left three men without a home last night, according to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.
Firefighters rushed to the scene of a townhouse fire on the 11500 block of Hearthstone Court around 10:38 p.m. Tuesday. Rescue crews knocked the fire down about 12 minutes after arriving.
Investigators said the home’s three residents had already safely evacuated before firefighters got there. The men became aware of the fire after one of them saw smoke while in the kitchen.
Only one smoke alarm was found in the house. Although it was located on the second floor, the battery wasn’t connected and it did not activate, officials said.
“Fire investigators determined the fire originated in a bedroom of the home. The cause of the fire is accidental as a result of improper disposal of smoking materials,” according to a Fire and Rescue press release.
The three displaced residents are receiving Red Cross assistance. The home has an estimated $18,75o in damages.
File photo
A nearby stretch of road is getting a much-needed covered bus stop, thanks to volunteers from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and donations by local organizations.
Capt. Gery Morrison and his colleagues from Fire Station 42 (Wolf Trap) said the spot directly across from the firehouse, at Beulah Road and Route 7, has needed a covered bus stop for some time to help shelter people from inclement weather as they wait.
“The current stop is just a posted sign that sits in a ditch along the heavily traveled corridor of Route 7,” Capt. Rocco Alvaro said in a blog post yesterday. “Area residents line up in the morning without adequate shelter and are forced to take their chances waiting on the edge of Route 7 for the next scheduled bus.”
Morrison and several of his crew members decided they would build a community bus stop, but only if they could get donations.
Reston’s Home Depot and The Barns at Wolf Trap then agreed to donate materials, which Fire Station 42 members used to build a covered stop.
Although the initial structure is complete, some finishing touches are still in the works.
“When finished, the project will bring some of the finer touches of the Wolftrap Firehouse into the soon-to-be-completed bus stop,” Alvaro said.
The captain said he hopes more collaborative projects are in the community’s future.
“What an innovative way to develop community partnerships while at the same time enhancing the safety and well-being of our community members,” he said.
Photo via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
(Updated at 3 p.m.) An accidental fire erupted in the kitchen of a Reston condo with someone and a cat inside last night, causing about $180,000 in damage and displacing locals, according to the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department.
About 40 firefighters rushed to the unit in a four-story building on the 12000 block of Market Street about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Firefighters used a 35-foot ladder to climb up to the condo’s occupant and calm the individual as the person waited for help on a balcony. They eventually helped the occupant walk through the building and get into an ambulance, which brought the individual to a local hospital for evaluation.
At some point, the person’s cat went missing, but was later found.
A single sprinkler head was able to extinguish the fire, which came from an oven.
Five residents were displaced due to the blaze. Six condo units were damaged.
Photo via Twitter/LoveRunandPray
Update, 5 p.m.: The road has been reopened.
A car crash with injuries has closed Reston’s Wiehle Aenue in both directions as of about 3:30 p.m., Fairfax County Fire and Rescue says.
The accident occurred at Wiehle and Inlet Court, officials said.
The road will be shut down “for an unknown amount of time,” fire and rescue said.
According to scanner reports, one person was transported to Reston Hospital Center with non-life threatening injuries.
Reston Now will have more details when they are available.
Photo courtesy FCPD
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue says a little yellow dot in a strategic place could help save your life. The department embarked on a new public safety initiative, the Yellow Dot Program, on Monday. The program offers a way to organize your medical information and make it accessible to rescuers in case of a car crash or other emergency.
“This free program is designed to help first responders provide life-saving medical attention during the “golden hour” after a vehicle crash or emergency,” fire and rescue officials said in a release. “Participants place a Yellow Dot decal in their vehicle’s rear window to alert first responders to check the vehicle’s glove compartment for vital medical information.”
Here is how to participate: visit your nearest Fairfax County fire station (in and near Reston – 1820 Wiehle Avenue; 2610 Reston Parkway (Fox Mill Shopping Center) and 1117 Reston Ave. (North Point).
Ask personnel for a Yellow Dot Program kit. The Yellow Dot Program kit contains a personal information booklet and a Yellow Dot decal. Complete both sides of the booklet as fully as possible. Filling the booklet out in pencil will allow you to update the booklet as information changes. Attach a current photo of yourself and place the booklet in the glove compartment.
Place the Yellow Dot Program decal in the lower left corner of your rear windshield, no higher than three inches from the bottom.
Two dogs perished in a Reston townhouse fire on Friday night, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue officials said.
Firefighters were called to the 11200 block of Silentwood Lane about 9:44 p.m. for reports of a townhouse on fire.
Upon arrival, firefighters observed smoke and fire showing from a three-story townhouse. An aggressive attack was conducted and the fire was brought under control. There were no firefighter or civilian injuries. The house did not have working smoke alarms, officials said. The fire was discovered by a neighbor.
The two occupants were not home at the time of the fire. Two adults have been displaced. Red Cross assistance was declined. Total property loss is estimated at $93,750.
Friends of the young couple who lived at the townhouse have set up a Go Fund Me account to help them. the dogs who died were named Prim and Finn, according to the Go Fund Me page.
Investigation revealed that the fire originated on the kitchen counter. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Photos courtesy Kurt Rose
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews rushed to Midtown Condominiums at Reston Town Center Sunday after an underground transformer sparked.
While smoke was visible from street grates, there were no visible flames despite the two-alarm call that brought more than a dozen fire trucks to scene at 11990 Market St. shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday.
Power was out in the building, and most residents (as well as employees of Subway and Roosters on the ground floor) self evacuated.
Market Street, Explorer Street and the area around Reston Town Square Park were blocked off until about 2 p.m.
Residents said they were back in the building with generator power Sunday afternoon.
Fairfax County leaders have recommended an independent audit of the county’s fire department after allegations and a civil rights lawsuit were filed last week by a female firefighter alleging sexual harassment and mismanagement.
Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova says a third party will be looking into the working environment.
An outside third party consultant will “assess the working environment within the Fire and Rescue Department, focusing on Equal Employment issues, workforce morale, mental health assistance, and communication issues. County staff will develop a more formal scope of work for this study. Fire and Rescue Chief Richie Bowers fully supports this initiative,” Bulova said at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
In the last several weeks, Guy Morgan, who heads the department’s Professional Standards Office, was placed on administrative leave following discovery of inappropriate online posts. Additionally, Bowers launched an investigation into firehouse cyberbullying following the suicide of firefighter/paramedic Nicole Mittendorff, who worked at a station in Burke.
Meanwhile, a group of female firefighters spoke out on Wednesday saying they have had nothing but a positive atmosphere with their male colleagues.
“We’re a family, and like any family we have some black sheep,” firefighter/paramedic Alisha Reakoff told WTOP. “Those black sheep do not represent who we are as a whole. We’re disheartened about how the fire department and the personnel on the fire department are being portrayed publicly. Never once was I treated any differently because of my gender.”
Firefighter Magaly Hernandez, with the department since 2005, filed a civil rights suit on May 6, claiming years of sexual harassment, unnecessary transfers and lack of accountability of supervisors within the department.
Fairfax County says it cannot comment on Hernandez’s case.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue officials are investigating whether comments on the Fairfax Underground forum may have led to the suicide of Firefighter-Paramedic Nicole Mittendorff.
In a news conference yesterday, Chief Richard Bowers said the department’s preliminary investigation has determined that there was no departmental knowledge of any bullying or harassment regarding Mittendorff prior to her disappearance.
Mittendorf, 31, of Woodbridge, was missing for about a week before her body (and a suicide note) were located in Shenandoah National Park.
It has been reported that Mittendorff had been cyberbullied — possibly by fellow firefighters — on that site.
Bowers said an investigation through the county’s Department of Information and Technology shows a county computer was not used to access Fairfax Underground, which is an unmoderated.
Said Bowers: “The web forum is independently maintained and not associated with Fairfax County government. At this time, the department does not know if the posts were authored by any county or Fire and Rescue Department employee. Investigators are actively continuing with the investigation and using every resource available.”
Bowers said Fairfax County Fire and Rescue maintains a “zero tolerance'” policy in regards to bullying and harassment of any kind. Read More
Update, 2:25 p.m.: The road is now open.
Original story, Wednesday 11:30 a.m.: Sunrise Valley Drive will be shut down in both directions for most of Wednesday as crews fix a gas leak.
A gas main was hit by a construction crew shortly before 11 a.m.
Traffic is blocked from Parkridge Boulevard to Hunter Mill Road. Fairfax County Police at the scene said it could be several hours before roads are reopened.
Reston Now will check with Sunrise Valley Elementary School for information should it affect school pickup and buses this afternoon.
Last week, there was a similar incident in Reston. Reston Parkway was shut down for hours, disrupting traffic on many nearby streets, due to a gas main break caused by a construction crew.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue officials are still investigating what caused a townhouse fire on Mediterranean Court in Reston Thursday.
Crews were called to the 11600 block of Mediterranean about 4:30 p.m. with a report of a garage fire, a fire department spokesman said.
When they arrived, they found a fully involved garage fire that was extending to the second-floor attic. Firefighters conducted an aggressive attack to contain the fire in the garage and attic as it”got to the second floor very quickly,” officials said.
There were no injuries.
