The YMCA in Del Ray (420 E Monroe Avenue) is temporarily closed after a medical incident.
Alexandria Fire-EMS are on the scene assisting a woman who went into cardiac arrest in the gym section of the YMCA.
The woman is being transported to the hospital. As of 3:40 p.m. the gym remains temporarily closed.
James Cullum contributed to this story
It’s about to get a little more expensive to live in Alexandria.
On Saturday, City Manager Jim Parajon will present City Council with proposals to increase:
On ambulances, Council will consider raising the cost of basic life support from $600 to $750, which is about as much as neighboring Fairfax and Arlington Counties charge. As for additional levels of treatment, advanced life support (ALS) treatment would increase from $780 to $1,000, and the most advanced treatment requiring life-saving and other measures could rise from $900 to $1,200.
In the meantime, City Council is also considering a real estate tax increase to fund a significant budget request from the Alexandria School Board.
The Manager also wants to raise fees for late personal property tax payments. He’s proposing to increase the late payment penalty from a flat rate of 10% to “a rate of 10% if paid within 30 days 20 after the due date, and 25% if paid more than 30 days after the due date,” according to the proposal.
The city’s personal property tax rate is $5.33 per $100 of the assessed value of vehicles, and $3.55 for vehicles retrofitted to accommodate disabled drivers.
Parajon also wants to increase the stormwater utility fee from $308.7 to $324.10. The increase will help the city pay for infrastructure improvements, Mayor Justin Wilson wrote in April newsletter.
The Alexandria Police Department released a D.C. man after put on a harness and got stuck on the Seminary Road Bridge that runs across Interstate 395 on Sunday.
APD and the Alexandria Fire Department responded to a psychiatric emergency at around 8:15 a.m., and found the 62-year-old man with a harness wrapped around his waist and “strapped to the bridge,” police said in a dispatch.
After being unable to locate air bags or mattresses, AFD found a 24-foot-tall ladder, which the man used to climb down to N. Van Dorn Street, according to dispatches.
The entire incident was over by 8:40 a.m. and resulted in Virginia State Police and APD shutting down the northbound Seminary Road exit, as well as a portion of N. Van Dorn Street.
The man reportedly told police that he was trying to “retrieve personal property when he got stuck.” He was released after safely reaching the ground, according to APD.
APD did not release any other information on the man with the harness.
Police and fire crews have reopened lanes of the I-395 N ramp from Seminary Rd. above N Van Dorn St after they worked to free a subject who harnessed himself to the bridge and attempted to lower himself down to retrieve personal property when he got stuck. There are no injuries.
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 7, 2024
Here's the scene from the 8a hour as fire, EMS, and police dealt with the man who harnessed himself to the bridge at Seminary Rd. This was westbound over N. Van Dorn at the I-395N ramp. The traffic-cam video doesn't show the person, but thanks to all who alerted me to the… https://t.co/k9CljTve29 pic.twitter.com/T4gCeY8Jvu
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) April 7, 2024
A smoking heating and air system has closed Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar at 111 King Street for the foreseeable future, the restaurant owner told ALXnow.
Owner Bartolo Paz said that smoke came out of the furnace this afternoon after it was turned on by restaurant staff, that no one was hurt, and that there is minimal damage.
“They had to cut out some drywall and insulation,” Paz told ALXnow. “Nothing major.”
The Alexandria Fire Department responded to the commercial building fire call for service at around noon, according to dispatch reports.
A favorite sports bar in Old Town, Bugsy’s is named after Bryan Watson, the former defenseman with the Washington Capitals pro hockey team. Watson opened the business in 1983 as Armand’s Pizzeria & Grille with the upstairs bar, The Penalty Box. Watson sold the business to Paz in 2013, and died in 2021.
Paz said that he hopes to reopen the restaurant soon.
The restaurant released the following statement on social media:
Good afternoon,
Unfortunately earlier today we experienced a fire inside our building, everyone is okay but this has caused us to close down for the foreseeable future. We apologize for the inconvenience but we will keep everyone updated as soon as we get the updates ourselves and we look forward to opening back up as soon as possible so we can continue to provide all our customers with exceptional service. Thank you so much for understanding and we hope to see everyone soon.
The Alexandria Fire Department (AFD) said a massive fire earlier this month on Wheeler Lane caused an estimated $5 million in damages.
In a release, AFD said the fire was “accidental and electrical in nature”. The fire caused $1.5 million in structural damage with an estimated $3.5 million in damage to the contents of the businesses in those buildings.
The fire, which started around 9 p.m. on Jan. 2, was a three-alarm fire that wound up bringing in over 100 firefighters from both Alexandria and surrounding jurisdictions. One firefighter sustained minor injuries.
Jeffrey’s Catering, one of the providers to Alexandria’s Meals on Wheels program, was one of the businesses affected. Despite concerns that the fire might impact Meals on Wheels’ ability to provide food for local seniors, the release said the owners of Jeffrey’s Catering were able to continue services using an alternative location.
The building has since been condemned due to fire and structural damage.
The release is below:
Alexandria doesn’t have the resources to adequately cover the public safety aspect of the proposed Potomac Yard arena and entertainment district, sources in the Alexandria Police Department and Sheriff’s Office told ALXnow.
The city currently does not have the resources to cover the addition of the arena and entertainment district at Potomac Yard. The Alexandria Police Department has just over 300 officers, the Sheriff’s Office has around 165 deputies and the Fire Department has about 300 fire and rescue personnel.
The city is developing a “public safety and event services plan” to support large events while maintaining service for the rest of the city.
“The project team, which includes multiple city agencies, is developing a public safety and event services plan for the proposed entertainment district that will include deployment of City and regional resources to support the public during events in this area while maintaining full services for the rest of the City,” Ebony Fleming, the city’s director of communications, told ALXnow.
Last year, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals, hired an additional 20% of off-duty D.C. police officers to handle security at games and events.
In the meantime, the Alexandria Fire Department is undergoing a restructuring, or redeployment, of resources. In 2022, more than 70% of AFD incidents were medical and rescue-related and just 15% were fire alarm and fire-related. Fleming says that the AFD Forward plan, which would redeploy resources around the city, will not be impacted by the arena.
“The arena will not impact AFD Forward,” Fleming said. “The Entertainment District project will include a fire and emergency medical services event services plan that will be developed to support the public in this area while maintaining full services for the rest of the City.”
Fleming did not provide a deadline for completion of the public safety and event services plan.
Fleming said that the police department is leading the law enforcement planning and that the Sheriff’s Office is “willing to support APD should they identify specific needs where Sheriff’s Deputies can enhance the public’s safety.” She also said that Sheriff Sean Casey is “confident a thorough needs assessment will be requested and conducted as part of the overall process.”
(Updated 12:15 a.m.) A three-alarm fire sent plumes of smoke up into the skies above Wheeler Avenue earlier this evening.
The 4000-4400 blocks of the street burned earlier this evening, but by 11 p.m. the fire had been contained.
The Alexandria Fire Department said the fire is in a commercial building on the 4400 block of Wheeler Avenue, the site of several warehouses and industrial businesses.
Scanner traffic indicated that the fire had spread across 4413, 4411, and 4407 Wheeler Avenue.
AFD is currently working a 3-alarm commercial building fire in the 4400 block of Wheeler Avenue. @ffxfirerescue assisting. @AlexandriaVAPD has closed through traffic in both directions. Please avoid the area.
— Alexandria Fire-EMS (@AlexandriaVAFD) January 3, 2024
APD has closed through traffic both directions on Wheeler Avenue between the 4000-4400 blocks due to a structure fire. Please avoid this area. pic.twitter.com/tV1KI6y9JE
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) January 3, 2024
Some more photos from @IAFFLocal2141 battling the 3 alarm fire on Wheeler Ave @IAFFofficial @AlexandriaNow @AlexandriaVAFD #IAFF pic.twitter.com/Ir2XgSnvof
— Chris Wanka (@fyreman2006) January 3, 2024
James Cullum and Vernon Miles contributed to this story
Mutual respect, growth, and an ability to be vulnerable: That’s the kind of relationship retiring Alexandria Fire Chief Corey Smedley wants with his next job, wherever that might be.
Smedley says he wants purpose, not a position, and that he’d like for the right opportunity to find him.
“I want that relationship to find me,” Smedley told ALXnow in a recent interview. “I’d love that relationship to be something that is mutually respected, where we can grow together and can be vulnerable with each other, that we support one another and will continue to grow in whatever fashion that looks like. So, I’m not necessarily looking for fire chief’s position.”
After more than three years at the helm of the department, the 51-year-old Smedley announced his retirement last week. His last day is January 12, after which Jim Schwartz, a former deputy county manager in Arlington, will act as interim Fire Chief as the city conducts a national search for Smedley’s replacement.
“I have some energy left in me and I plan on still using my talent while someone thinks my time is still usable,” Smedley said. “But at this moment in time, I’ve done what I could do in the City of Alexandria, and it’s time for me to move on.”
Smedley is the city’s first permanent Black fire chief, and led the department through the COVID-19 pandemic, and negotiated the first-ever collective bargaining agreement with the fire department’s union.
Smedley implemented a departmental restructure in 2021, shifting AFD responsibilities and resources to stations around the city. Now, with emergency medical incidents taking up 75% of calls for service, Smedley’s redeployment plan will go into effect in January, shuttering two fire engines and increasing the number of smaller Emergency Medical transport units staffed by firefighters/emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
Smedley says his AFD Forward plan more than makes up for City Manager Jim Parajon’s request that departments submit budget recommendations with a 1% reduction in expenditures ($650,000 for AFD).
Smedley said that his work as the deputy chief prepared him for the pandemic, since routine coverage plans for firefighters and EMTs had to change at a moment’s notice.
“The pandemic was a challenging time for us all,” he said. “When we get to a place where there’s a crisis, you will find those routine plans are going to get overwhelmed and you have to be courageous and confident with your team to try innovative things to accomplish your mission, and we were able to do that.”
A native of D.C., Smedley lives in Chesapeake Beach, Md. He worked 20 years with the Prince George’s County Fire Department before being hired by AFD in 2015 as the deputy fire chief of emergency management and homeland security. He was promoted to assistant fire chief of administration in early 2019, and was named the acting fire chief that summer after former Chief Robert Dubé retired.
“I think I came into the profession with some smarts but what I gained was wisdom,” Smedley said. “I’ve learned to not only build but maintain. I’ve learned to be confident with not being the smartest person in the world and allowing other people to shine. I’ve also learned that you know what? I’m not Jesus. I’m not going to save the world, but I am gonna do everything I can to make things better and sometimes I’m gonna take off. I’m gonna spend time with my family and be there with them.”
Smedley was recently named by Maryland Governor Wes Moore to the Maryland Fire Rescue Education Training Commission, a position he says is about continuing to perform public service.
“I want people to understand I came to Alexandria with energy vigor, a lot of compassion and passion,” he said. “I’m leaving that same way and that’s how I wanted to have my career go.”
Updated at 11:45 a.m. Alexandria Fire Chief Corey Smedley announced his retirement today, and that he will leave the top job on Friday, Jan. 12.
After more than three years at the helm of the department, the 51-year-old Smedley did not say what his next move would be after his retirement. He’s the city’s first permanent Black fire chief, and led the department through the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as negotiated the AFD first-ever collective bargaining agreement with the fire department’s union.
“I am extremely blessed and honored to serve,” Smedley said. “The Fire and EMS service is a great way to spend your life serving others and helping those in need. Although this is a bittersweet moment, I find solace knowing the department is in a better place and there are leaders within that will continue the journey of improvement.”
Mayor Justin Wilson called Smedley a “great leader.”
“Chief Smedley has been a great leader for one our fastest-growing departments at a critical time in our history,” Wilson told ALXnow. “His retirement is a big loss for our City. I wish Chief Smedley well in his retirement and I thank him for his tireless work to protect the safety of people and property in our community.”
City Manager Jim Parajon also appointed Jim Schwartz to act as interim Fire Chief as the city conducts a national search for Smedley’s permanent replacement. Schwartz retired in 2021 as a deputy county manager in Arlington.
Smedley was born in Washington D.C., raised in Maryland and lives in Chesapeake Beach, Md. He joined the department in 2015 as the deputy fire chief of emergency management and homeland security, after 20 years with the Prince George’s County Fire Department. He was promoted to Assistant Fire Chief of Administration in early 2019, and was named the acting fire chief that summer after former Chief Robert Dubé unexpectedly announced his retirement.
City Manager Jim Parajon thanked Smedley for his contributions over the last eight years.
“His outstanding leadership has led to significant workplace improvements for our firefighters and EMS providers, while improving the quality of life in Alexandria,” Parajon said. “We wish him all the best for a well-earned retirement.”
A 35-year-old man was stabbed in an attempted robbery Wednesday night, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
APD was notified at around 11 p.m. that the victim was stabbed in the arm in an attempted robbery in a parking lot in the 5600 block of Derby Court, which is near William Ramsay Elementary School, the William Ramsay Recreation Center and the Jerome “Buddie” Ford Nature Center.
The victim suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital. No suspect information was released to the public. APD sent out a notification at 11:40 p.m. to expect a moderate police presence in the area, and the Alexandria Fire Department dispatcher said that the victim was intoxicated.
Anyone with information on the incident can contact the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
Notification: Moderate police presence in the 5600 block of Derby Court. An adult male has been stabbed and sustained non-life-threatening injuries during an attempted robbery. He is being transported for medical treatment. APD is investigating at this time. pic.twitter.com/9SPswUBW2q
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) November 30, 2023
