Fire Station #8
Since 1918, the Halls Hill Volunteer Fire Department has been protecting their community
Despite underfunding, outdated equipment, and prejudice, these firefighters have set a standard for generations to come.
Since 1918, the Halls Hill Volunteer Fire Department has been protecting their community. Despite underfunding, outdated equipment, and prejudice, these firefighters have set a standard for generations to come.
In 1902, the Virginia Constitution was passed, and it became the norm for African-American neighborhoods to be deprived of necessary amenities and services, including emergency services. As a result, these communities became insular and self-sufficient. Fire departments in Arlington did not offer their services to black neighborhoods, which led to the creation of Hall's Hill's own fire department.
In 1918, the Hall’s Hill Volunteer Fire Department (HHVFD) was founded. It was the first all-black volunteer fire department below the Mason-Dixon line.
In 1925, seven years after the formation of the first African-American volunteer fire company in the County, the East Arlington Volunteer Fire Department was established in the area nicknamed Hell’s Bottom, which is also known as Queen City. Unfortunately, the County Board disbanded this department in February 1941 to make way for the construction of the Pentagon.
In 1926, HHVFD became fully incorporated and continued to operate. However, in December 1935, the white-only volunteer companies grouped together as the Arlington Firemen's Association, which excluded the African-American VFDs. As a result, the African-American VFDs were not given the valuable protections that were afforded to the other fire stations.
In 1940, the Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) was formed, unifying all independent fire stations, including Hall’s Hill. The County Board agreed in 1941 to pay a monthly rate of $455 (approximately $8,400 in 2021) to six out of seven volunteer fire departments in Arlington for designated professional firefighters. However, the Hall’s Hill VFD was excluded from this agreement.
Between 1951 and 1954, the County made the decision to pay eight African-American firefighters at Hall's Hill VFD. Despite this positive step, segregation and racism were still prevalent, and HHVFD would often be excluded from responding to major fires. During a massive inferno in Rosslyn, nearly all County fire crews were called in except for those of HHVFD Station 8.
The following excerpts from an interview with former Station 8 firefighter Lt. Hartman Reed depicts the struggles faced at that time:
“What can I say about the vehicles that we had were very old. Now, this is 1952 when I first came on, the fire trucks were a 1928 and a 1932 trucks...I’m not sure we even had a windshield on the thing...They wanted to say that you didn’t have the ability. Being black you didn’t have the ability, the courage, the knowledge...some of the dispatchers were that nasty, I guess you want to say, not to send you (to the fire)...we had a fire in our jurisdiction. We were first do right behind us, somewhere… I wasn’t on the fire, but I knew the other shift rode it - went. We were told when we changed shifts.
They went on the fire and the man’s house was on fire, and wouldn’t let them in. He wouldn’t let anybody in until…the second do company, which was either Falls Church or Cherrydale came in there, and they had to put the fire out. This man was going to let his house burn down before he let us go into his house. It was that bad.“
By early 1963, all Arlington stations became fully integrated, with black and white members operating side-by-side. In 1967 Alfred Clark became the first African American fire captain in the County, serving at HHVFD Station 8.
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