Charlottesville, an independent city located two hours south of Washington, D.C. with a population under 45,000 boasts a "world class fire department." Despited its small size, Charlottesville was ranked the best place to live in the United States, and the city's unparalleled sense of community is embodied by their firefighters. http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-06/502846424_poq9H-Ti-2.jpg http://gong.smugmug.com/gallery/7771928_bdf5u/ 2009-03-31T10:54:52Z Copyright 2009, the copyright holder of each photograph. Some portions copyright SmugMug. All rights reserved. SmugMug <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />Bradley, firefighter, takes a moment to go over his duties for the day which include cleaning up the premises and cooking two full meals with money collected from fellow firefighters. He is ...</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502838030_SSKgN" title="Bradley, firefighter, takes a moment to go over his duties for the day which include cleaning up the premises and cooking two full meals with money collected from fellow firefighters. He is ..."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-01/502838030_SSKgN-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Bradley, firefighter, takes a moment to go over his duties for the day which include cleaning up the premises and cooking two full meals with money collected from fellow firefighters. He is ..." title="Bradley, firefighter, takes a moment to go over his duties for the day which include cleaning up the premises and cooking two full meals with money collected from fellow firefighters. He is ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T11:41:22Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-01/502838030_SSKgN-Th.jpg 2008-05-10 20:03:56 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />The fire station's dorm rooms have unsealed walls in order for fire alarm signals to be easily audible. Most firefighters report they rarely have productive sleep while working a shift, eve ...</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502839928_SP7Fc" title="The fire station's dorm rooms have unsealed walls in order for fire alarm signals to be easily audible. Most firefighters report they rarely have productive sleep while working a shift, eve ..."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-02/502839928_SP7Fc-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="The fire station's dorm rooms have unsealed walls in order for fire alarm signals to be easily audible. Most firefighters report they rarely have productive sleep while working a shift, eve ..." title="The fire station's dorm rooms have unsealed walls in order for fire alarm signals to be easily audible. Most firefighters report they rarely have productive sleep while working a shift, eve ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T12:03:50Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-02/502839928_SP7Fc-Th.jpg 2008-05-31 23:13:11 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />Chris, 27, takes an initiative to wash the fire engine. Like most, he is proud of his line of duty, and makes sure the department does not have a "bad image." Chris, a Charlottesville loca ...</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502841282_AfdG7" title="Chris, 27, takes an initiative to wash the fire engine. Like most, he is proud of his line of duty, and makes sure the department does not have a "bad image." Chris, a Charlottesville loca ..."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-03/502841282_AfdG7-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Chris, 27, takes an initiative to wash the fire engine. Like most, he is proud of his line of duty, and makes sure the department does not have a "bad image." Chris, a Charlottesville loca ..." title="Chris, 27, takes an initiative to wash the fire engine. Like most, he is proud of his line of duty, and makes sure the department does not have a "bad image." Chris, a Charlottesville loca ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T11:43:15Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-03/502841282_AfdG7-Th.jpg 2008-05-10 22:48:48 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />For more intense fires, fire retardant foam is used. Unlike water, fire retardant foam more effectively cools down fire and is able to coat the fuel, preventing its contact with oxygen, whi ...</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502842857_c8yzG" title="For more intense fires, fire retardant foam is used. Unlike water, fire retardant foam more effectively cools down fire and is able to coat the fuel, preventing its contact with oxygen, whi ..."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-04/502842857_c8yzG-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="For more intense fires, fire retardant foam is used. Unlike water, fire retardant foam more effectively cools down fire and is able to coat the fuel, preventing its contact with oxygen, whi ..." title="For more intense fires, fire retardant foam is used. Unlike water, fire retardant foam more effectively cools down fire and is able to coat the fuel, preventing its contact with oxygen, whi ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T11:44:45Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-04/502842857_c8yzG-Th.jpg 2008-06-24 11:47:23 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />A local television reporter is alerted to the fire through his radio scanner and arrives just in time to solicit a report from the fire chief before the fire department leaves.</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502845279_dDeCJ" title="A local television reporter is alerted to the fire through his radio scanner and arrives just in time to solicit a report from the fire chief before the fire department leaves."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-05/502845279_dDeCJ-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="A local television reporter is alerted to the fire through his radio scanner and arrives just in time to solicit a report from the fire chief before the fire department leaves." title="A local television reporter is alerted to the fire through his radio scanner and arrives just in time to solicit a report from the fire chief before the fire department leaves." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T11:45:40Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-05/502845279_dDeCJ-Th.jpg 2008-06-24 12:13:22 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />Emily, 36, carefully inspects the degree of combustion on this vehicle to gather evidence. Often, the cause of fire is unknown and thus presents a problem for future fire prevention.</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502846424_poq9H" title="Emily, 36, carefully inspects the degree of combustion on this vehicle to gather evidence. Often, the cause of fire is unknown and thus presents a problem for future fire prevention."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-06/502846424_poq9H-Th-2.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Emily, 36, carefully inspects the degree of combustion on this vehicle to gather evidence. Often, the cause of fire is unknown and thus presents a problem for future fire prevention." title="Emily, 36, carefully inspects the degree of combustion on this vehicle to gather evidence. Often, the cause of fire is unknown and thus presents a problem for future fire prevention." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-05-24T14:51:51Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-06/502846424_poq9H-Th-2.jpg 2008-06-24 12:09:44 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a> </p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502847958_4ZJCp" title="Steve Gong's photo"><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-07/502847958_4ZJCp-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Steve Gong's photo" title="Steve Gong's photo" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T05:21:14Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-07/502847958_4ZJCp-Th.jpg 2008-05-18 05:08:35 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />Jesse, 34, refuels Engine Co. 7 with diesel. "Every drop counts" when so much fuel is consumed by having to carry a huge water supply.</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502850058_Xg24P" title="Jesse, 34, refuels Engine Co. 7 with diesel. "Every drop counts" when so much fuel is consumed by having to carry a huge water supply."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-08/502850058_Xg24P-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Jesse, 34, refuels Engine Co. 7 with diesel. "Every drop counts" when so much fuel is consumed by having to carry a huge water supply." title="Jesse, 34, refuels Engine Co. 7 with diesel. "Every drop counts" when so much fuel is consumed by having to carry a huge water supply." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T11:50:39Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-08/502850058_Xg24P-Th.jpg 2008-05-18 01:33:46 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />Uniforms are tailor made for an exact fit. The department has voted on a new design that the firefighters are eager to endorse.</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502851587_BrBR9" title="Uniforms are tailor made for an exact fit. The department has voted on a new design that the firefighters are eager to endorse."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-09/502851587_BrBR9-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Uniforms are tailor made for an exact fit. The department has voted on a new design that the firefighters are eager to endorse." title="Uniforms are tailor made for an exact fit. The department has voted on a new design that the firefighters are eager to endorse." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T11:51:26Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-09/502851587_BrBR9-Th.jpg 2008-06-23 19:47:12 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />Chris, 27, takes extra care in his cooking by finely dicing peppers. Firefighters take turns cooking and those unable to cook take on other chores such as cleaning the dishes. Leftovers ar ...</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502853031_kr73m" title="Chris, 27, takes extra care in his cooking by finely dicing peppers. Firefighters take turns cooking and those unable to cook take on other chores such as cleaning the dishes. Leftovers ar ..."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-10/502853031_kr73m-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Chris, 27, takes extra care in his cooking by finely dicing peppers. Firefighters take turns cooking and those unable to cook take on other chores such as cleaning the dishes. Leftovers ar ..." title="Chris, 27, takes extra care in his cooking by finely dicing peppers. Firefighters take turns cooking and those unable to cook take on other chores such as cleaning the dishes. Leftovers ar ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T11:52:30Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-10/502853031_kr73m-Th.jpg 2008-06-26 16:21:38 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />Bradley (right) is hailed as one of the best cooks at the station. Firefighting often runs in the family, and many firefighters share family names with the honored retirees.</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502853678_DfRRD" title="Bradley (right) is hailed as one of the best cooks at the station. Firefighting often runs in the family, and many firefighters share family names with the honored retirees."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-11/502853678_DfRRD-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Bradley (right) is hailed as one of the best cooks at the station. Firefighting often runs in the family, and many firefighters share family names with the honored retirees." title="Bradley (right) is hailed as one of the best cooks at the station. Firefighting often runs in the family, and many firefighters share family names with the honored retirees." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T11:56:18Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-11/502853678_DfRRD-Th.jpg 2008-05-10 23:13:50 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />During an Emergency Medical Services training session, these firefighters exaggerate the severity of the incident to anticipate for the worst as well as to have a good laugh.</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502855209_FoTPV" title="During an Emergency Medical Services training session, these firefighters exaggerate the severity of the incident to anticipate for the worst as well as to have a good laugh."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-12/502855209_FoTPV-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="During an Emergency Medical Services training session, these firefighters exaggerate the severity of the incident to anticipate for the worst as well as to have a good laugh." title="During an Emergency Medical Services training session, these firefighters exaggerate the severity of the incident to anticipate for the worst as well as to have a good laugh." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T11:57:07Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-12/502855209_FoTPV-Th.jpg 2008-06-25 21:24:41 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a> </p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502860601_avVxp" title="Steve Gong's photo"><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-13/502860601_avVxp-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Steve Gong's photo" title="Steve Gong's photo" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T05:45:56Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-13/502860601_avVxp-Th.jpg 2008-05-17 16:31:33 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />A concerned senior resident of a home looks for fires in the hall, having been alerted by the smoke alarm. Ashley attempts to cover up and minimize the noise from the smoke detector while o ...</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502862175_XHE24" title="A concerned senior resident of a home looks for fires in the hall, having been alerted by the smoke alarm. Ashley attempts to cover up and minimize the noise from the smoke detector while o ..."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-14/502862175_XHE24-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="A concerned senior resident of a home looks for fires in the hall, having been alerted by the smoke alarm. Ashley attempts to cover up and minimize the noise from the smoke detector while o ..." title="A concerned senior resident of a home looks for fires in the hall, having been alerted by the smoke alarm. Ashley attempts to cover up and minimize the noise from the smoke detector while o ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T11:58:13Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-14/502862175_XHE24-Th.jpg 2008-05-18 00:43:07 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a> </p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502862515_W6NUM" title="Steve Gong's photo"><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-15/502862515_W6NUM-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Steve Gong's photo" title="Steve Gong's photo" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T10:45:27Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-15/502862515_W6NUM-Th.jpg 2008-06-01 03:37:51 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a> </p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502866986_LCLpX" title="Steve Gong's photo"><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-16/502866986_LCLpX-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Steve Gong's photo" title="Steve Gong's photo" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T05:57:59Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-16/502866986_LCLpX-Th.jpg 2008-05-18 05:14:21 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a> </p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502868392_mPba5" title="Steve Gong's photo"><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-17/502868392_mPba5-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Steve Gong's photo" title="Steve Gong's photo" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T06:00:45Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-17/502868392_mPba5-Th.jpg 2008-05-18 05:04:41 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />"Out of respect", "A" shift's firefighters refold the US flag, taking care to smooth out the wrinkles as a result of having stored the flag unfolded.</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502869999_2d23X" title=""Out of respect", "A" shift's firefighters refold the US flag, taking care to smooth out the wrinkles as a result of having stored the flag unfolded."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-18/502869999_2d23X-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt=""Out of respect", "A" shift's firefighters refold the US flag, taking care to smooth out the wrinkles as a result of having stored the flag unfolded." title=""Out of respect", "A" shift's firefighters refold the US flag, taking care to smooth out the wrinkles as a result of having stored the flag unfolded." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T12:01:53Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-18/502869999_2d23X-Th.jpg 2008-05-11 01:02:12 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />Craig and Scott stop at a local fast-food stand for an ice-cream before returning to headquarters. Many Charlottesvillians support local businesses by "buying local." This particular vendo ...</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#503025297_MRBYu" title="Craig and Scott stop at a local fast-food stand for an ice-cream before returning to headquarters. Many Charlottesvillians support local businesses by "buying local." This particular vendo ..."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-19/503025297_MRBYu-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Craig and Scott stop at a local fast-food stand for an ice-cream before returning to headquarters. Many Charlottesvillians support local businesses by "buying local." This particular vendo ..." title="Craig and Scott stop at a local fast-food stand for an ice-cream before returning to headquarters. Many Charlottesvillians support local businesses by "buying local." This particular vendo ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T12:00:20Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-19/503025297_MRBYu-Th.jpg 2008-06-27 02:39:50 <p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com">Steve Gong</a><br />Max, a local boy with an aspiration to become a "fireman" is ecstatic to sit in the interiors of a fire engine. As I put my hand out to cover the glare, Max thinks I'm waving to him, so he ...</p><p><a href="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/7771928_bdf5u#502872954_s3ruT" title="Max, a local boy with an aspiration to become a "fireman" is ecstatic to sit in the interiors of a fire engine. As I put my hand out to cover the glare, Max thinks I'm waving to him, so he ..."><img src="http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-20/502872954_s3ruT-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Max, a local boy with an aspiration to become a "fireman" is ecstatic to sit in the interiors of a fire engine. As I put my hand out to cover the glare, Max thinks I'm waving to him, so he ..." title="Max, a local boy with an aspiration to become a "fireman" is ecstatic to sit in the interiors of a fire engine. As I put my hand out to cover the glare, Max thinks I'm waving to him, so he ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-03-31T12:01:19Z Steve Gong http://gong.smugmug.com http://gong.smugmug.com/Stories/Charlottesville-Firefighters/Firefighters-20/502872954_s3ruT-Th.jpg 2008-05-18 01:13:36