Firefighters Dressed as Superheroes Rappel Down a Virginia Hospital to Cheer Young Patients
Members of Loudoun County Fire and Rescue's technical rescue team, dressed as Captain America, Spider-Man, Mario, Luigi and other characters, rappelled down the side of Inova Loudoun Hospital to wave, play games and trade high-fives through the glass with children in the pediatric unit.
Just News Desk, Correspondent||3 min read
LANSDOWNE, Va. - The children in the pediatric unit at Inova Loudoun Hospital had been handed bingo cards on Friday, Oct. 23, and the squares were not numbers. They were characters, and one by one the characters began to appear outside the windows, coming down the side of the building on ropes.
They were members of Loudoun County Fire and Rescue's technical rescue team, firefighters trained in rope rescue from stations in Leesburg, Sterling and Aldie, Loudoun Now reported. They had come dressed as Captain America, Spider-Man, Mr. Incredible, Stitch, Batman, Mario and Luigi, and as they descended the hospital, they stopped to wave to the children watching from inside, WJLA 7News reported.
The visit was organized by Inova and the fire department, according to Loudoun Now. At each window the firefighters paused to wave and to offer high-fives through the glass, and they brought games along for the trip down, including tic-tac-toe, bingo and bubbles, WJLA reported.
A Loudoun County rescue unit, Rescue 613, on Sycolin Road on an early fall morning, Oct. 17, 2010. Illustrative image; it does not show the firefighters, the hospital or the events in this story. Photo: DreadyEMT, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rescue_613.jpg
Lt. Jason Ilowite, who suited up as Luigi, said the day served two purposes, and he was clear about which one mattered more.
"We're putting them to work a little bit today to get some training out of it, but more importantly, to bring some happiness to some kids who are in the hospital and, otherwise might not be having the greatest day," Lieutenant Ilowite told WJLA. "So that's the goal of today."
He said the team planned to spend time with the children as it worked its way down the building, WJLA reported.
Wildland firefighters descend on ropes from a helicopter during training at the National Helicopter Rappel Program's academy at Salmon Air Base in Salmon, Idaho, June 6, 2016. Illustrative image of rope rappelling; it does not show Loudoun County firefighters, the hospital or the events in this story. Photo: U.S. Forest Service, Intermountain Region (Region 4) Photography, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Source page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:National_Rappel_Training_2016ET5A4364_(27272235260).jpg
The firefighters are trained in elite rope rescue operations, in Loudoun Now's description. On this Friday, eight days before Halloween, that training was put to a gentler use: a superhero at the window, a game played through the glass, and a square to mark on a bingo card.
Sources: WJLA 7News, Ida Domingo, "WATCH: Superheroes rappel down Inova Loudoun Hospital to surprise young patients," Oct. 23, 2026: https://wjla.com/news/local/watch-superheroes-rappel-down-inova-loudoun-hospital-surprise-young-patients-sick-kids-happy-smiles-phots-virginia-captain-america-mario-luigi-stitch-incredible-spiderman-dmv ; Loudoun Now, Patrick Lewis, "Rope Rescue Firefighters Visit Loudoun Hospital Children's Wing for Halloween," Oct. 23, 2026: https://www.loudounnow.com/giving_back/rope-rescue-firefighters-visit-inova-loudoun-childrens-wing-for-halloween/article_c2f4bfe8-9087-4125-a92a-ce019880aaf4.html ; WUSA9, "Superheroes rappel down Loudoun hospital to make kids smile" (video): https://www.wusa9.com/video/life/heartwarming/superheroes-rappel-down-loudoun-hospital-to-make-kids-smile/65-92a71c92-b8c0-4d2d-bf1f-0c238b2bbdae . All quotations are as published by WJLA. Station and newspaper photos and video are not reproduced here, and no patients are named. All images are illustrative, freely licensed photos from Wikimedia Commons; none shows the firefighters, Inova Loudoun Hospital or the events in this story.
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