CHATHAM, VIRGINIA · ESTABLISHED 1895
More than 130 years of volunteer service, resilience, and commitment to our community.
Explore Our Timeline ↓WHO WE ARE
The Chatham Volunteer Fire Department has served Chatham, Virginia, since 1895. From its earliest station behind the county courthouse to today's home on Depot Street, generations of volunteers have helped protect their neighbors and their community.
Our history continues to grow. This page preserves milestones shared by the department and will be expanded as additional documents, photographs, and firsthand accounts are gathered.
MILESTONES THROUGH THE YEARS
Dates marked approximate reflect department recollections and await confirmation in archival records.
THE BEGINNING
The department traces its founding to a destructive fire that burned numerous structures along Main Street in Chatham. The precise date of that fire and its relationship to the 1895 founding are still being researched.
OUR STATIONS
The original fire station stood behind the Pittsylvania County Courthouse, believed to have been on Bank Street. Department recollections indicate that it was demolished around the time of the courthouse expansion. CVFD then moved to a two-bay garage on Depot Street, across from the site of its current station.
The exact demolition date and its connection to courthouse construction remain unverified.
FIRST AERIAL
The department acquired a 1970 Mack CF611FAP with a 75-foot Baker aerial platform directly from the Fire Department of New York. According to department history, it was the only aerial apparatus in Pittsylvania County at the time.
A NEW HOME
Construction of the present fire station at 35 Depot Street began around 2004. The department moved from the two-bay garage across the street into its new home in 2007.
AERIAL MODERNIZATION
The original Mack/Baker was retired and replaced by a 1993 Pierce Arrow 100-foot rear-mount tower, acquired from the Chesapeake Fire Department in Virginia.
TOWER 21 TODAY
CVFD purchased a 2015 Pierce Arrow XT 100-foot rear-mount tower in 2025 and placed it in service in 2026. It previously served Arlington County Fire Department as Tower 104, operating from Station 4 in Clarendon.
A LEGACY OF AERIAL SERVICE
75-foot aerial platform
Previously served FDNY; acquired by Chatham circa 1980s. Retired around 2009–2010.
Historical photograph to be added100-foot rear-mount tower
Previously served Chesapeake Fire Department. Replaced the Mack/Baker around 2009–2010.
Historical photograph to be added
100-foot rear-mount tower
Former Arlington County Tower 104. Purchased in 2025; placed into CVFD service in 2026.
PRESERVING THE PAST
We plan to add historical station photographs, past chiefs and members, retired apparatus profiles, original newspaper clippings, and other significant milestones as materials become available.
Have an old photo or document about CVFD? Contact the department to help preserve its history.
Contact the Department ↗