City of Alexandria Employee Killed In Huntington Crash

HUNTINGTON, VA — A City of Alexandria government employee was identified as the driver killed in Monday's crash in the Huntington area.

Robert Bloom, 61, of Alexandria, was pronounced dead on the scene, according to Fairfax County Police. The fatal crash happened around 9:24 a.m. at North Kings Highway and Telegraph Road.

The driver had been heading west on North Kings Highway when the vehicle left the road and struck a traffic pole at the intersection. No one else was in the vehicle.

According to the city, Bloom was a public safety systems administrator in the Department of Emergency and Customer Communications. He was worked for the city since 2016. This year, he led the effort to help staff to answer 911 and 311 calls from home during the pandemic. Alexandria became the first city in the U.S. to implement this strategy.

"Bob was an extremely dedicated and talented professional, whose 30-year career in public safety demonstrated a deep commitment to saving lives and serving people," reads a statement on the city's website. "His technical expertise, industry knowledge and practical experience helped protect first responders and the communities they serve. Bob's colleagues in DECC, across the City and around the world are saddened by his loss and send deepest condolences to his family and friends."

Before joining the city, Bloom worked for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the City of Baltimore, and telecommunications vendors. He started his career in a small county 911 center in Pennsylvania and helped implement 911 technology advancements over three decades. He was chair of the 2019 international convention of APCO International, the global organization of public safety communications professionals, and served on APCO's cybersecurity committee.

Information about arrangements will be posted online when available.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, according to Fairfax County Police. Anyone with information is asked to call the Crash Reconstruction Unit at 703-280-0543 or submit a tip through Crime Solvers.