About Us

The Buckhall Volunteer Fire Department was founded in 1981, spearheaded by Mr. Joseph R. Kemper, following a 24-year career with the Virginia Division of Forestry as the Prince William Chief Forest Warden. During his time with the DoF, Mr. Kemper taught countless fire safety & prevention classes to area youth, which gave him vital insight – he foresaw a need for a local fire department in the Buckhall area long before it became a vision to others.

After the founding in 1981, the BVFD began officially answering calls for assistance in September of 1984, and took full responsibility for our first due area in May of 1985.

Mr. Kemper was instrumental in every step of the development of our department, even donating land for a temporary station. The BVFD responded out of a pole barn on Mr. Kemper’s donated land, and hosted meetings in the old Buckhall Schoolhouse, until the official facility on Davis Ford Road (now Yates Ford Road) was completed. We, alongside Mr. Kemper, broke ground on the current station on March 31, 1985, just days before he passed away on April 21, 1985.

He remains an important part of this department, with our station being known to this day as “Kemper Station.”

The Buckhall VFD was the first station in Prince William County to request and receive 24-hour staffing. Then, and especially now, we are proud to have a great relationship between the volunteers and career staff, as a small station with a strong family environment.