Disaster looms as fire department is stretched too thin

“Nowhere are the challenges facing the Alexandria Fire Department more stark than at Station 206, the Seminary Road facility built in 1958. Standing on the front ramp looking west, Fire Chief Adam Thiel can see the massive Washington Headquarters Service — the new Department of Defense building where more than 6,000 people will work early next year. As the crow flies, it’s less than a mile away. But Thiel told The Alexandria Gazette Packet that during rush hour, the massive gridlock created by a lack of transportation planning could create a worse-case scenario — a 20-minute response time.”