5481
Trucks dispatched from Fire Station 206, located at 4609 Seminary Road, regularly use Seminary Road when responding to calls. (Photo/Missy Schrott)
Despite repeated claims by Department of Transportation and Environmental Services staff that the Alexandria Fire Department had significant input into the Complete Streets Design Guidelines and whether to narrow Seminary Road, documents obtained by city residents under the Freedom of Information Act reveal otherwise.
The public safety importance of the fire department having input into whether, not just how, to narrow this particular stretch of Seminary Road – which runs from Quaker Lane westward to INOVA Alexandria Hospital – seems clear, given the potential impact on emergency response times.
Alexandria Fire Chief Corey Smedley was on hand at AFD headquarters Dec. 10 to receive more than 2,000 toys collected as part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ annual Toys for Tots campaign.
The toys were collected as part of a Seven Weeks of Giving campaign by the Alexandria-based AFCEA DC. The organization is part of AFCEA International, formerly known as the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, which focuses on the Department of Defense, the federal intelligence community, national security and military health related agencies.
COVID-19 restrictions prevented AFCEA DC from hosting their annual Winter Gala, which supports the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Foundation program. Still committed to the program, they created a Seven Weeks of Giving campaign with a goal of distributing 5,000 toys for children around the region.