Annual Alexandria Friendship Firehouse Breakfast Draws Close to 200 of the City’s Movers and Shakers Monday February 17
Newly Minted Fire Chief Makes his First Big Appearance with Keynote Address
Alexandria, VA – Presidents Day weekend in Alexandria is one of the biggest weekends of the year, as this historic city pays homage to its local son, the first president of the United States. Some commemorations began at the end of January and continue to the end of February. But this past weekend was the main deal, bookended by the annual George Washington Birthday Parade on Saturday, February 15, and the Friendship Firehouse Annual Breakfast on Presidents Day. Monday morning’s breakfast was a veritable Who’s Who of Alexandria as about 170 of the city’s movers and shakers filled the ballroom of the Westin Hotel in Carlyle, near the United States courthouse. This year marks the 251st anniversary of the Friendship Fire Company, its founding stretching all the way back to 1774, as well as the City’s 276th anniversary.
While George Washington was the star of the show this weekend, with Brian Hilton in town to portray the general, the weather threatened to upstage the city’s local legend. Saturday’s torrential downpour during the parade gave way to full sunshine with a side order of gale-force winds by Monday. Guests shivered as they scurried into the hotel, grateful to escape the howling winds. Attendees reached for steaming mugs of hot coffee as they mingled and chatted, before filing into the elegant ballroom for a sit-down plated breakfast of scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, fresh fruit, and fruit-filled danishes. The highlight of the morning was an address by newly minted Alexandria Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez Jr., who began work on July 8.
Hernandez relocated here from Rochester, New York and organization president Dr. Jimmie McClellan quipped that Hernandez took this job to get away from harsh winters.
The fire chief began his address by lauding his department for its quick response to the DC plane crash on January 29. That evening, an American Airlines regional jet was preparing to land at Reagan National Airport when it collided with a Black Hawk, sending both aircraft plunging into the icy Potomac River. There were no survivors.
“On that night, over forty members responded to assist with rescue and recovery efforts. The response included over four engines, four medic units, one battalion chief, one EMS supervisor, and fireboats. Those fireboats were one of the first on the scene of the crash.”
Hernandez had only been on the job for six months when his department was put to the test as it confronted a major tragedy. In a conversation with The Zebra, Hernandez described that horrific evening. He was out of town, heading to Rochester to fix up his home and prepare it for sale when he received a text from Police Chief Tarrick McGuire about the downed aircraft. Hernandez jumped into action, following up with his command staff, calling the shots remotely.
“To be fair, I had a lot of great people here, doing an amazing job of handling the disaster. The great part about this area is that we have a great mutual aid system that’s really unique.”
Hernandez explained to Zebra that a comprehensive disaster response is already in place so that when catastrophe strikes, the fire department is ready to roll.
“I’ve seen a lot in my career. But I don’t think I would ever compare any of it to what those first responders saw that night.” Hernandez said that by the next day, the valiant rescue effort turned into a recovery effort.
Bill Kehoe was honored with the Ben Lynt Distinguished Service Award for his many years as an outstanding volunteer firefighter. Kehoe has served the organization for 40 years. His past accomplishments include chairing this breakfast event for many years. Clutching his award, “I was surprised and very honored,” Kehoe told Zebra.
Organization president McClellan has never been a firefighter. Now in his fifth term, he explained what captivates him about preserving this historic firehouse.
“Friendship is an interesting organization and a lot of the people who are members are there because they were firefighters, but some of us are there because we’re historians,” McLellan told Zebra. He is a historian with 48 years of teaching history at Northern Virginia Community College and a 2012 Living Legend. McClellan said there’s no better place for history buffs to live than Alexandria.
“For me also it’s preserving the history. Ours is a city that preserves. And I like that about Alexandria and being able to preserve the firefighting museum on Alfred Street which we have just restored in the last three years,” McLellan continued.
McLellan moved to Alexandria in 1989 and noted the rich history of our region from Washington, DC down to Fredericksburg.
“As a historian in Alexandria, every corner you turn, there’s something that reminds me of an incident in the past. Some good, some bad, but they’re all here. The best of America and the worst of America is all part of the history of the city and remembering it all is important.”
McClellan lives in Rosemont and is keenly aware of all that history practically at his doorstep. “General Braddock’s cannon is two doors down. This is history!”
Alexandria retired police chief David Baker co-chaired the annual event with Jeanne Jacobs. As the former head of the city’s police department, Baker told Zebra that he has always admired what firefighters do.
“One of my lines, which I used again today, is when I see the fire guys and shake their hands, first thing I say, I should have been a fireman. “
Baker explained that often police get all the glory. “I always have great affection for the fire department,” he went on.
“I mean, I certainly appreciate police for obvious reasons. I love the police force. But firefighting is a dangerous job. It gets little attention. If you think about it, if you think about fire, who really gets the most attention? It’s police and it’s because they’re the frontline of things that really affect people’s personal quality of life, and personal safety. And so police always get the front-row seat. I always try to make it clear that we share the front row together.”
Among the elected officials and city leaders who attended the affair were Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins, Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, Councilmen Canek Aguirre and R. Kirk McPike, former mayors Justin Wilson, Allison Silberberg, and William D. Euille, along with City Manager James F. Parajon, Alexandria Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez Jr., Police Chief Tarrick Maguire, and Sheriff Sean Casey.
The Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association assists in the preservation of the historic fire engine house on South Alfred Street in Old Town Alexandria. The organization supports the city fire department and provides scholarships, and other benevolent and philanthropic services to the Alexandria community.
Two Alexandria Middle School Students benefited from that philanthropy and were feted at the firehouse breakfast Monday. The two tied in the second annual essay contest on George Washington, sponsored by the George Washington Legacy Foundation. The 2025 winners are Bryce Daugherty and Hudson Binder. The contest challenged students to craft an original essay on George Washington. Each of the winners received $500.
Hernandez ended his address by telling the audience he loves Alexandria except for a few things.
“As for me, on a personal level life in Alexandria is going great. Besides the surprise of paying vehicle property tax or being blamed for this year’s winter weather, and for some reason, the difficulty of finding an ice cream shop that sells both soft serve vanilla ice cream and Oreo cookies, I have no complaints.”
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