SFMO Fireworks
On March 19, the State Fire Marshal’s Office conducted their annual Virginia Permissible fireworks testing.
This testing is done to make sure that any fireworks sold in the Commonwealth of Virginia meet the Code of Virginia and the SFPC.
VDFP’s Charlotte Green Accepts NFA Region III Chair Position
The Virginia Department of Fire Programs is proud to share that Charlotte Green, Training and Operations Executive Administrative Assistant, has recently been appointed Region 3 Chair for the National Fire Academy (NFA).
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This new responsibility is a testament to her experience in public safety and her commitment to supporting fire service professionals.
Charlotte’s career in public safety began when she became a volunteer firefighter in Hanover County. From there, she transitioned into a role as a 911 dispatcher, where she served for seven years. Seeking a change, she moved into private industry, working with General Electric and later a doctor’s office.
After the loss of her mother in 2014, Charlotte was inspired to complete her bachelor’s degree. She enrolled at William & Mary and graduated in 2018. Her career then led her back to public safety with a role at Richmond Airport Police Department, followed by a position at the Department of Labor and Industry before joining VDFP in 2021.
“I was drawn to this job because of my background in public safety—dispatch, fire, and law enforcement,” Charlotte explained. “It was a great fit, and I’ve developed strong relationships across the agency.”
Charlotte’s new role as Region III Chair expands her impact beyond Virginia, overseeing National Fire Academy (NFA) course coordination across five states: Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. Each year, the NFA provides six three-day courses per region in addition to nine state-funded courses.
Having already managed NFA-funded programs in Virginia—including organizing state weekend courses and working with localities to host training—Charlotte sees this new position as a natural progression.
“It’s not a huge lift for me because I’ve already been coordinating the two-day programs for Virginia,” she said. “Now, I’ll be extending that coordination to a regional level, working with state partners to submit requests and facilitate training.”
While Charlotte remains humble about the new title, it’s clear that her hard work has earned the trust and confidence of leadership at both VDFP and the NFA.
“I’ve always appreciated the level of confidence Chief Brads has in what I do,” she noted.
“I already have working relationships with some of the states in our region, so this just builds on what I’ve been doing.”
“I enjoy being involved in different aspects of the agency and helping where I can,” she said. “That’s really what my role has evolved into—having a hand in everything.”
Congratulations to Charlotte on this well-earned recognition and new opportunity!
VDFP Community Risk Reduction attended Radio One’s Family and Baby Expo at Chesterfield Towne Center on March 22. At this event, VDFP had a booth where we had the opportunity to engage with the community!
Visitors had the chance to win VDFP merch, take pictures with Sparky the Fire Dog and learn how to use a fire extinguisher with our simulator.
IT Corner
Greetings VDFP,
I’d like to take this moment to remind everyone that the equipment that is assigned to you is owned and/or leased by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Virginia Department of Fire Programs. The devices whether they are laptops, tablets, smartphones…etc. are for business use. Limited personal use is permitted during breaks/lunches. At no time should anyone be installing non-business-related programs and/or applications to their devices. As our Information Security Officer, Phil Napier reminded us of last week, the use of certain applications (Tik-Tok, DeepSeek) are banned by executive order and anyone caught installing those apps are to be reported to the Governor’s office. Also, we’ve had a good number of laptops returned after refresh with stickers adorning them. When VDFP turns in a laptop that needs excessive cleaning or must have stickers removed, VDFP is charged for that and it’s an unnecessary expense for us. Please treat your devices with care and let’s do our best to return them in as good as or better than we received them.
Robert Steele VDFP IT Manager | Deputy ISO
Doreen Mcandrews New Grandbaby Announcement
Doreen Mcandrews recently celebrated the birth of her 11th grandchild!! Paul and Faith McAndrews welcomed Crew Patrick McAndrews into this world on February 27, 2025. Congratulations to Doreen and her family!!
