Dustin Lang: Cop by day, battalion fire chief by night

Albemarle native Dustin Lang is the volunteer battalion’s Chief of Operations, after joining the company last summer as an “entry-level firefighter.”

The quote marks are necessary, because Lang isn’t anybody’s idea of an entry-level anything. He joined Stony Point after a brief retirement from the East Rivanna Volunteer Fire Company where he had served for 21 years. (He continued to work as a full-time federal law enforcement officer before, during and after his so-called retirement.)

During his time between East Rivanna and Stony Point, Lang picked up his private pilot’s license – a goal he had been eyeing since working as an airline baggage handler immediately after high school. He celebrated his achievement in October, 2021 by flying down to the Outer Banks with his best friend for breakfast.

“That was an expensive meal, for sure, but it was worth it,” Lang said.

By the time Lang retired from East Rivanna, he had reached the rank of Deputy Chief. His promotion within Stony Point will place him in charge of training and leading volunteer staff, leading the response to emergency calls and overseeing equipment and apparatus needs.

Lang has spent his entire adult life – and some of his adolescent years – as a first responder. He first joined the East Rivanna Volunteer Fire Company at age 14 as a junior firefighter, after the Fire Chief appealed to his Boy Scout troop for volunteers.

By 16, he had completed all required training and was able to be a full participant in fire and rescue calls, although he could ride along on calls and do “safe tasks where I couldn’t be hurt” from Day 1.

The volunteer fire company draws from a broad swath of the Stony Point community, benefitting from the commitment and expertise of folks who work by day as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, students and even a tattoo artist. “I do think I’m the only cop,” he acknowledges.

“As a kid, everybody wants to be a cop or a fireman,” Lang said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do both of those things so far because the junior firefighter program helped me reinforce that childhood dream. That desire was there, and the program kind of drove it home that ‘this is something that I can do, that I want to do and that is achievable.’”

Lang also worked as a full-time paid firefighter for two years, but says he prefers volunteerism. “I just personally didn’t get the same satisfaction out of it,” Lang said. “I get more out of it by giving back as a volunteer than by doing it to collect a paycheck.”