Onancock Volunteer Fire Department Inc.

10/13/2026

The Onancock Volunteer Fire Department has launched its 2026 Fund Drive. Your financial support permits us to fund fire and EMS apparatus, equipment, supplies, training, and operational expenses. The Onancock Volunteer Fire Department has faithfully served you for the past 98 years. With this in mind, we ask you to consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

The Onancock Volunteer Fire Department operates a Class A fire engine, ladder truck, tanker, rescue truck, brush truck, and command vehicle to respond to fire and rescue incidents in our fire district and to provide mutual aid throughout the Eastern Shore. In cooperation with the Accomack County Department of Public Safety, we provide Advanced Life Support emergency medical services (EMS) to the towns of Onancock, Onley, and Tasley and to surrounding areas utilizing three fully equipped ambulances.

Our members dedicate their time training and responding to emergencies to support our service commitment to you.

In 2025, OVFD volunteers and ACDPS personnel responded to 1798 EMS and 403 fire related incidents; this year appears to be even busier.

Contribute via the link below. Thanks for your support.

09/12/2026

09/01/2026

Onancock Fire Department offering free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
https://shoredailynews.com/headlines/onancock-fire-department-offering-free-smoke-and-carbon-monoxide-detectors/

08/28/2026

Earlier this year, Onancock VFD submitted a Community Risk Reduction Grant application through the Virginia Department of Fire Programs. We were notified several weeks ago that we were one of 37 other agencies awarded the grant and received a number of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to provide to members of our community.

In 2024, there were over 340,000 reported residential fires, with nearly 48% caused by cooking. Every year, cooking is the leading cause of fires nationwide and is no different in Virginia. Unfortunately, in 2026, there have already been 1,213 home fire fatalities in the United States, and FIVE of them have been on the Eastern Shore of Virginia alone.

We respond to hundreds of fire alarms and smoke detector activations that turn out to be false alarms for the fire department, and very few actual reported structure fires; however, these devices have been proven to save lives and protect your property! We want to ensure that our community is safe and able to escape in the event of a fire.

Due to the materials that homes are built from, smoke, filled with hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and other toxic substances, becomes overwhelming and deadly rapidly. Without smoke detectors notifying the occupants of these hazards immediately, you can be overcome by these deadly gases within 60 seconds.

Please take the time to fill out this form to request a free smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Thanks to this grant, our volunteers, alongside the career staff from the Accomack County Department of Public Safety, are happy to install these detectors in your home to better protect your family.

Committed to serving you,

Chief M. Rydberg

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/7awNbBr9CE



Virginia Department of Fire Programs Eastern Shore of Virginia 911 Center Town of Onancock Shore Daily News Eastern Shore Radio

08/27/2026

Onancock VFD is proud to say that we were one of the recipients of this Community Risk Reduction grant this year. We will be releasing information soon on how you can request a smoke detector. We are grateful for the opportunity to help reduce loss of life and property by providing and installing these life saving devices to those in need.

Community Risk Reduction Coordinator Sarah Kenny shared that VDFP was proud to award 38 departments across the Commonwealth with a grant for smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. That resulted in the agency providing more than 1,100 smoke alarms and 500 carbon monoxide detectors for those departments to get installed in residences.

"VDFP is proud to support locality-led canvassing efforts with alarms that reduce fatality and injury risk across the Commonwealth,” Kenny said.

Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors need to be installed by the end of the calendar year. You could have as little as two minutes to get out safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly. Carbon monoxide (CO) is often called “the invisible killer.” CO gas can be fatal to people and pets.

08/13/2026

On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, we were surprised to have a visit by Jen Kiggans for Congress. The Congresswoman presented our fire department and its members with an American Flag that had been flown over the United States Capital. We are grateful for her support and taking the time out of her busy schedule to present us with such a monumental gift. Thank you Congresswoman Kiggans for your continued support and recognition of public safety professionals on our Eastern Shore!

08/08/2026

We are asking for your help!

Does your business, office, or home have an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)? How bout bleeding control kits for severe bleeding emergencies or Narcan for overdoses? Have you registered it with the National Emergency AED and Resource Registry?

The number of patients who have an AED applied by bystanders remains low, less than 12% of public cardiac arrest emergencies. Your chance of survival while waiting for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) decreases by 7-10% with every minute that a shock is not delivered. However, 9 in 10 cardiac arrest victims who receive a shock within the first minute survive.

Our local 911 Center does not use public applications such as Pulse Point, where civilians can be notified of events where CPR is needed in public places; however, there are applications that can be useful for finding where public access Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are located.

We are asking that anyone in the community who owns/maintains these life-saving devices go online to the link below and register their devices. This information will be useful for our emergency responders, and we will share it with our 911 Center so they can help someone in need find an AED quickly if one is nearby.

Please share this and spread the word so that you can help save a life!

Add a device to the public AED registry.

07/24/2026

Thank you to our Accomack County Department of Public Safety staff and our volunteers who assisted in some station upkeep and maintenance. While doing such, we used the opportunity to do some night time ladder operations training with apparatus positioning and aerial platform placement adjacent to buildings.

07/17/2026

Did you know that our volunteers have the training and capabilities to provide advanced critical care to patients in the field using mechanical ventilators?

Our Advanced Life Support clinicians can provide Non-Invasive BiPAP (Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure) and invasive mechanical ventilation through Adaptive Support Ventilation to include ventilation during active CPR while intubated or using a supraglottic airway device!

This extremely important tool helps provide the best care in the field, leading to better patient care outcomes as well as provides better crew resource management while in the field and in less than desirable situations. It’s safer for both the patient and the crew as a whole.

07/14/2026

Check out our Technical Rescue Teams training schedule! Greenbackville Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. CHINCOTEAGUE VOLUNTEER FIRE CO.

Below is our team’s upcoming training schedule through June of 2027.