The Richmond (Va.) Fire Department has received the Governor’s 2005 Virginia Fire Services Award for Outstanding Fire Department Response. The award was announced at the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association’s Mid-Atlantic Expo & Symposium held recently in Virginia Beach.

The award recognizes the efforts of the department while responding to a multi-alarm warehouse fire on July 13, 2005. In addition to the structural fire itself, the department also faced the threat of a significant hazmat incident: During fire suppression operations it was discovered that a refrigeration system within the warehouse contained more than 1,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia. Had the ammonia been released, it would have posed a significant health risk to thousands of area residents.

The Richmond Fire Department spent four days on scene mitigating the danger posed by the anhydrous ammonia and investigating the cause of the fire.

In a letter to the award selection committee, Richmond Fire Chief Robert A. Creecy said, “I am extremely proud of the men and women of this department who worked together as a team to address the major challenges of this incident and avert disaster.”