How We Began
In 1968, members of the Purcellville community led by Charlie Schonder (former member of the original Loudoun Rescue in Leesburg) started discussing the creation of a rescue squad specific to Purcellville. In 1969, the Purcellville Volunteer Rescue Squad (PVRS) was formed. The first ambulance was bought from the Vienna Fire Department with money donated from the Purcellville Fire Department.
Many of the original charter members were also members of the Purcellville Fire Department. Members would respond to whichever call came first.
In the beginning, Fire Department members helped drive the ambulances. Some of the founding members include: Ed Ashby, Charlie Bridge, Billy Buxton, Robert Grubb, Claude James, Douglas Lawlor, Allen Love, Dalton Millbourne, Charlie Schonder, Rex Shoemaker, Herbert (Sonny) Sisk, Bill Whirley, John C. Whit, and Roger Wright.
The original building was located in a garage on land owned by Charlie Holden. Mr. Holden later sold the land to Purcellville Rescue. PVRS began construction on the 20th Street building in 1971 with the addition of the southern most bay in 1974. Donating much of their time, Basham Simms and others laid all the brick for the building, and electrical work was performed by Wade Palmer and others.
Creative Urethane supplied the spray-on attic insulation. The station only had to pay for the material. A large number of members donated their free time to work on the building. The official Dedication was on September 30, 1972.
In Summer of 2007, we moved into our current location at the intersection of Hirst Rd and Maple Ave. This county-owned facility is known as the Purcellville Public Safety Center. Purcellville Rescue shares this facility with the volunteers of Purcellville Volunteer Fire Company, career firefighters from the Loudoun County Fire & Rescue Department, and the County Battalion Chief and EMS Supervisor for Battalion 2.