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Firefighters push back on proposed consolidation in Arlington

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Published  March 5, 2026 4:53pm EST
Arlington County
FOX 5 DC

The Brief

    • Arlington is considering consolidating Fire Stations 2 and 9 into a single centralized Rescue Company, potentially impacting 12 firefighters’ roles.
    • County leaders say the move would eliminate four vacant positions without layoffs and increase staffing per shift from four to six firefighters.
    • The firefighters’ union warns consolidation could delay response times and reduce specialized rescue capabilities, with discussions set for upcoming county meetings.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Arlington firefighters and their union are sounding the alarm over a proposed plan that could consolidate two rescue companies into one, potentially impacting 12 firefighters’ roles and resources. 

Union leaders warn the move could delay response times and reduce protection for residents, as county officials weigh the proposal ahead of upcoming budget discussions.

What we know:

Fire Station 2 and Station 9 in Arlington could be impacted if a reported plan to consolidate resources comes to fruition.

The two stations would reportedly be closed, under the proposal, and replaced with a single centralized Rescue Company. 

FOX 5 has learned twelve firefighters could be impacted – notably their roles and resources. 

" By consolidating the rescue units, the County can reduce the fire department's overall full-time employees by four vacant firefighters with no demotions or layoffs," said the county manager in an email to FOX 5. "If adopted, staffing on the consolidated rescue company would increase from four to six positions per shift, which would make it the highest staffed rescue company in the National Capital Region."

The other side:

The firefighters' union Local 2800 is pushing the county's board to halt any plan to cut the county's rescue companies in its upcoming budget. 

The union fears this could lead to delayed response times and fewer resources during a critical time where a robust response from first responders is needed. 

"The primary task of the rescue company when they first arrive on scene is search and rescue. So now that we're limiting more of a centralized rescue, one rescue basically, there's going to be a delay in service," said firefighter Dustin Drumm. 

"We want people to know that this is going to make the community less safe, not just on the typical auto accident where we have to cut somebody out or a fire where somebody's trapped, but also each of these rescues has unique specialties in either technical rescue, so repelling off of buildings or a building collapse, stuff like that, or the other one does hazmat," said firefighter Brian Lynch. "By bringing them together, we wouldn't be able to bring the same equipment and number of trained people to the scene."

What's next:

The county will discuss the proposal in a closed-door meeting in a couple of weeks and a public meeting at the end of the month.

FOX 5 DC reached out to the county manager for a response. 

Arlington CountyNews