V.F.D.

For related terms, see VFD.

V.F.D. is a mysterious set of initals appearing in many of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events novels.

History

There are references to V.F.D. in each book following The Austere Academy (many of them visible only in retrospect). It is first mentioned explicitly by the Duncan and Isadora Quagmire, who do not get the opportunity to explain it. The theme becomes increasingly prominent in subsequent volumes as the Baudelaire orphans investigate its true meaning, and it appears to figure centrally in their parents' death and the schemes of Count Olaf. It eventually appears to be the name of an organization, and the most recent books suggest that V.F.D. ultimately stands for Volunteer Fire Department (although it also stands for many other things as well).

In the books, the protagonists (Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire) discover that their parents were members of this secret organization, as were all the guardians they were placed with after their parents died and various other people encountered during the books. At some point, the V.F.D. underwent a serious schism. When exactly this occurred is unknown, but it appears that a line has been drawn between those who stop fires and those who start them. While the real name of the V.F.D. organization has yet to be revealed, "Volunteer Fire Department" seems to be the most likely, due to many references to fires and the theme of fire running throughout the books. It is known that V.F.D. watches children who have been observed to have talent in note-taking or observation, contacts them, and with their permission, takes them from their homes by the ankles. It is implied that "Volunteer Fire Department" was the original name, but the organisation has expanded into many other fields. "Volunteer Flaneurs in Disguise" is one suggestion by fans for the current name.

Codes

(See main article V.F.D. Codes)
The organization makes use of many codes, most notably the Sebald Code. Other codes used include Verse Fluctuation Declaration, where coded words of poems are replaced, Verbal Fridge Dialogue, using the contents of a refrigerator to encode documents, and various coded phrases, including "The world is quiet here", "I didn't realize this was a sad occasion" and "Well, young lady, have you been good to your mother?", as well as the coded song (Mozart's Fourteenth Symphony, whistled).

The Eye

The V.F.D. eye.

V.F.D.'s symbol is the human eye, especially one containing the organization's initials hidden in its design. To the Baudelaire children, the eye recalls Count Olaf, their first guardian, who had a tattoo of an eye on his ankle, and whose home was decorated with eye designs. Jacques Snicket also had this tattoo; for this, as well as for his resemblance to the Count, he was sentenced to be burned at the stake in Olaf's place, before he was murdered by the Count himself. Both these V.F.D. members (and Lemony Snicket himself) had the same tattoo, and Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography indicates that all members shared this tattoo prior to the schism.

The eye symbol is first mentioned in Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography. It is also mentioned and described in The Carnivorous Carnival.

The Sugar Bowl

Another key element to V.F.D.'s survival is the sugar bowl, which is valued by both sides of the schism. The sugar bowl is the last bit of proof against Count Olaf.

In a letter to Kit Snicket that was "hidden" in The Slippery Slope, Lemony Snicket stated that he possibly learned the whereabouts of the evidence that "exonerates" him (which here means, proves that it was Count Olaf, and not Mr. Snicket, that started so many fires), and that he was headed for the Valley of Four Drafts, to acquire the evidence. The evidence was probably the sugar bowl, and the letter explains its value to Lemony.
Bowls are mentioned in many books; first in The Bad Beginning (containing fruit on Count Olaf's foyer tables), again in The Hostile Hospital (on a table holding pomegranates and other fruits), and finally in The Grim Grotto, where the search escalates, and both sides of V.F.D. desperately scour the oceans to find it. It is speculated that any of these bowls could be the sugar bowl.

It is hinted at that the bowl was carried down the Stricken Stream of the Mortmain Mountains into the Gorgonian Grotto, which is located under the burned Anwhistle Aquatics. The sugar bowl is now believed by several characters to be at the bottom of the pond which lies in front of Hotel Denouement. However, the Baudelaires met a mysterious man in a taxi (presumably Lemony Snicket himself), who had possession of a small, damp object. It is possible that this man has the sugar bowl as of the end of The Penultimate Peril. In The Austere Academy, Vice Principal Nero says that a fresh bowl of fruit is placed in the dormitory every Wednesday. Also a possible reference. In the book Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, when listing the objects in the V.F.D. disguise kit, it mentions Optionals: Sugar Bowl. This could mean that the sugar bowl is used in disguising oneself.

A deeper look into the sugar bowl's history was given in Book the 12th, or The Penultimate Peril. Esmé Squalor stated that Beatrice stole the sugar bowl from her, she also said this in Book the Sixth or The Ersatz Elevator, and it was stated somewhere in the same conversation that the 'thing' inside the sugar bowl is extremely important to the Snicket and Baudelaire families.

The Baudelaires' Discoveries

# V.F.D. is first mentioned by Duncan Quagmire in The Austere Academy, when he tries to tell Klaus something terrible about Count Olaf's past, but can only manage to yell the organization's initials before he's taken away.# Next, in The Ersatz Elevator, the Baudelaires discover a tunnel from 667 Dark Avenue (the home of Jerome and Esmé Squalor) to the Baudelaire mansion. Esmé is part of the V.F.D.'s fire-starting side, and Jerome became a part of the firefighting side sometime after the events in The Ersatz Elevator. It is believed that this is how Olaf got into the Baudelaire Mansion to burn it to the ground. And in the 'In' Auction V.F.D is in the auction but they really find out it really stands for Very Fancy Doilies.# In The Vile Village, the Baudelaires are offered a home in a village known only as "V.F.D." Thinking this may be related to the aforementioned secret, they arrive only to find it stands for Village of Fowl Devotees. The two V.F.D.s are apparently unrelated. Also they find a man named Jacques who appears to be a member of V.F.D.# In The Hostile Hospital, we meet a group of people who call themselves the Volunteers Fighting Disease, also probably unrelated to the organization. Also, they discover that one of their parents could be alive because of the sentence on the 13th page of The Snicket File: "Because of the evidence discussed on page nine, experts now suspect that there may, in fact, be one survivor of the fire." accompanied by a photograph of the Baudelaire parents, Jacques Snicket and a person whose face is turned against the camera (Lemony Snicket?). # In The Carnivorous Carnival they find out about the disguise kit and are introduced to the eye. We also learn that the one Baudelaire parent isn't alive. It could be that they are both dead or that one is alive. # In The Slippery Slope, it is suggested that the initials actually stand for Volunteer Fire Department, which ties in with a number of other clues in the novels (indeed, the author seems to have anticipated that some readers would have guessed already).# In The Grim Grotto, Captain Widdershins tells the Baudelaires that V.F.D. started out as a Fire Department, but it eventually expanded to have planes and ships and included many areas of undercover studies.# In The Penultimate Peril, the Baudelaires find a person named Dewey Denouement, who was the only one who knew where the sugar bowl is. When he died, the secret supposedly died with him, although the narrative implies that the bowl was removed by a taxi driver.# Dewey Denouement was the only one who knew where the sugar bowl was. When he died, he said 'Kit,' leaving the one he loved pregnant and distraught. In Chapter 1 Kit said she was pregnant, so he possibly made her pregnant and he loved her so the baby might be in Book 13 (The End) after Dewey's death.

Snicket's Hints

For more information about what V.F.D. stands for in the series, see List of VFDs

In Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, we see many occurrences of V.F.D. but more importantly, it also reveals much more about the nature of V.F.D. as an organization:
* Many of its members seem to have belonged to VFD since they were children (reference: page 38).
* The goal of V.F.D. is to ensure that the world remains "quiet", as they call it (reference pages 36 and 39). The pledge of the secret society is actually "the world is quiet here".
* Count Olaf seems to have been a member of V.F.D. (reference: page 45).
* Because of its greedy enemies, V.F.D. is very often forced to change its headquarters (reference: page 51).
* A ship called "Prospero" is often used to carry members.
* Throughout, it is strongly suggested that the "V" stands for "Volunteer".
* V.F.D. members are habitually referred to as "noble" and "well-read"

Thus if Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography is seen to have dominance over the other books, V.F.D. might stand for Volunteer Flaneur Disguises, or Volunteer Flaneurs Disguised.

Places With V.F.D. Activity

The following is a list of known places with V.F.D. activity.
*Count Olaf's House (The Bad Beginning): It has the eye symbol all over the house, and Count Olaf used to be a V.F.D. member. It is located in the same city as the Baudelaire Mansion.
*Uncle Monty's House (The Reptile Room): Home to the famed Reptile Room, which housed V.F.D.'s supply of reptiles, some of which were trained to sense arson activity. It also contains a library of V.F.D. and reptile books. The reptiles were removed by the Herpetological Society, and in The Slippery Slope, it was revealed that Olaf cheated a man (Bruce) out of the reptile collection, so they are now in Olaf's ownership ("except for one", slips Olaf, possibly referring to the Incredibly Deadly Viper). The reptiles' whereabouts are unknown, and the house was burned down. It had a secret passage to the Quagmire mansion. It was located in the countryside, on or near Lousy Lane.
*Aunt Josephine's House (The Wide Window): Has books of V.F.D., and could be vital for the Queequeg. Destroyed during Hurricane Herman. The wide window in the library is similar to the one mentioned in The Slippery Slope. It was located by the shores of Lake Lachrymose.
*Lucky Smells' Lumbermill? (The Miserable Mill) The archives for the Daily Punctilio were kept nearby the lumbermill, although they were destroyed.
*Dr. Orwell's Office (The Miserable Mill): The eye-shaped office. Headquarters for Dr. Orwell, who was most likely an associate of Count Olaf's.
*Prufrock Preparatory School? (The Austere Academy) Could be a school for V.F.D. volunteers. Mrs. K, (who was Kit Snicket in disguise) was at the school, and recruited two children at the same school.
*667 Dark Avenue (The Ersatz Elevator): Home of the secret passage that leads to the Baudelaire mansion. Jacques begged Jerome Squalor to purchase the apartment, most likely to protect the passageway. It is also located in the same city as the Baudelaire mansion. Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography states that there is a floor above the penthouse apartment. The book also implies that this location is important.
*Village of Fowl Devotees? (The Vile Village): One of the few books in the library is the Littlest Elf by Loney M. Setnick (anagram of Lemony Snicket). Crows were mentioned in relation to V.F.D. at several points (as carrier crows). Hector lived there, and he is likely a volunteer.
*Heimlich Hospital? (The Hostile Hospital): The names of patients included anagrams of Lemony Snicket, Beatrice Baudelaire, and Daniel Handler.
*Caligari Carnival (The Carnivorous Carnival): Home of Madame Lulu who owns a V.F.D. disguise kit. There are numerous eye symbols. It was mentioned that crucial evidence was hidden inside a figurine, but it is probably destroyed.
*Mortmain Mountains (The Slippery Slope): Home of what used to be the V.F.D. Headquarters. Was burned down. It used to have the sugar bowl, though it was tossed out the window when the fire began. Several businesses were done, training, stargazing, and others. The headquarters was located at the Valley of Four Drafts. A cave in the mountains is home to a Vertical Flame Diversion, where one can climb to and from the headquarters, and for security, a Vernacularly Fastened Door, which only opens on certain conditions. Several caves were home to Volunteer Feline Detectives, which were lions trained to smell smoke. (The lions could be the ones in The Carnivorous Carnival.) It was mentioned that when it was your turn to cook, you can see the beautiful waterfall out the large window. (See also V.F.D. Codes).
*Anwhistle Aquatics (The Grim Grotto): A marine center that was burned down by Fernald Widdershins. The sugar bowl floated there, but was collected by someone. The Gorgonian Grotto is what was left of its remains. When it was destroyed, the Medusoid Mycelium was released onto the headquarters.
*Hotel Denouement (The Penultimate Peril): V.F.D.'s "last safe place", was destroyed. There is a catalog of every villain, related objects, characters and incidents that is hidden within the pond. Former home of Dewey Denouement .
*Baudelaire Mansion: Home to Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire, was burned down. Has a passageway to 667 Dark Avenue.
*Vineyard of Fragrant Drapes (Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography): A garden where marriages are held. Sometimes disguises itself as the Vineyard of Fragrant Grapes.
*Daedalus Dock: The Prospero's dock. The Prospero is a ship for V.F.D. transport.
*Valorous Farms Dairy: A dairy where Lemony Snicket's birth took place. Was probably burned down by a cow in disguise.
*Café Salmonella (The Ersatz Elevator) and Anxious Clown (The Wide Window) : Home to V.F.D. in disguise as waiters. It is suggested that Café Salmonella waiters are traitors.
*Opportune Odors Horseradish Factory (The Grim Grotto): Where the antidote to medusoid mycelium was constructed (horseradish). Located on Lousy Lane.

Other Instances of V.F.D. In the Novels and Related Books

The following list contains other V.F.D's that are not known to be in the organization.
*Very fat director
*Vain Fat Dictator
*Valley of Four Drafts
*Valorous Farms Dairy
*Various Finery Disguises
*Veiled Facial Disguises
*Venom Feels Delightful Press (p. 167, LSUA)::The publishing company for The Mamba du Mal: A Snake That Will Never Kill Me, by Tony Eggmonteror.
*Verbal Fridge Dialogue
*Verdant Flammable Devices
*Verifying Fernald's Defection (p. 220, The Grim Grotto)::An article from The Daily Punctilio which states that Fernald was responsible for burning down Anwhistle Aquatics.
*Veritable French Diner (repeatedly in LSUA)::Jerome Squalor's favorite restaurant and where he met Esmé.
*Vernacularly Fastened Door
*Verse Fluctuation Declaration (p. 157, GG)
*Versed Furtive Disclosure (p. 153, GG):: The book Klaus finds in the Gorgonian Grotto.
*Vertical Flame Diversion
*Very False Documents Press (p. 162, LSUA)::The publishing company which published Ivan Lachrymose: Lake Explorer, by Vincent Francis Doyle.
*Virtual Fighting Division
*Vertical Fall Drop
*Very Funny Daxter
*Vast Flying Device
*Verified Fire Detector
*Volunteers Fighting Disasters
*Very Fancy Doilies (throughout The Ersatz Elevator)
*Very Fancy Doily Press (p. 164, LSUA)
*Very Fascinating Drama
*"'Very Fast Delivery (p. 204, "LSUA")
*Very Fancy Doilies
*Very Flammable Detergent
*Very Fresh Dill
*Very Frightening Danger (p. v, LSUA)::Under the copyright in the Autobiography, Snicket says:

::"If you recognize yourself in any of the photographs or illustrations in this book you may find yourself in Very Frightening Danger and/or slightly embarrassed but there is nothing you can do about it."
*Very Frightening Dilemma
*Very Fun Day
*Vessel For Disaccharides
*Village of Fowl Devotees
*Vincent Francis Doyle (p. 162, LSUA)::The author of Ivan Lachrymose: Lake Explorer.
*Vinegar Flavoured Doughnuts
*Vineyard of Fragrant Drapes
*Vineyard's Famous Donkeys
*Violent Fat Doctors
*Vision Furthering Devices
*Violent Frozen Dragonflies
*Violet's Fifteenth Date
*Visitable Fungal Ditches (p. 102, GG)
*Voice Fakery Disguises
*Volatile Fungus Deportation (throughout The Grim Grotto)
*Voluntary Fish Domestication (p. 98, GG)
*Volunteer Factual Dispatches
*Volunteer Feline Detectives (the VFD lions)
*Volunteer Fire Department
*Volunteer Fire Detectives
*Volunteer Fish Domestication
*Volunteers Fighting Disease (throughout The Hostile Hospital)
*Volunteers Finding Disasters
*Volunteer Flaneurs in Disguise::Though this is not directly said in the books, it has been suggested by some readers.
*Volunteers Forever Disguised
*Voracious Film Discussion Press (p. 165, LSUA)
*Very Fancy Diner (spotted in Active Worlds)
*Very Fast Delivery - VFDMail (spotted in Active Worlds)

Members

The following is a table depicting all of the known members of V.F.D. and the role of each member in the plot. As some characters' V.F.D. membership is only assumed or implied in the books, this list may not be 100% accurate.

Volunteers

Name	Description/occupation	Plot
Author of the books	Mysterious researcher who records and publishes the unfortunate events of the Baudelaire lives. Has an unknown role in the fire-stopping side of V.F.D. Possibly co-researcher with Dewey Denouement.
Lemony Snicket's brother & Kit's twin brother	Was framed for being Count Olaf (due to their similar appearance) and was to be burned at the stake in the Village of Fowl Devotees, but was instead murdered by the real Count Olaf, who then blamed the murder on the three Baudelaire children.
Lemony Snicket's sister, Jacques' twin sister and previously Mrs. K at Prufrock Preparatory School.	Mentioned a few times in the Grim Grotto, and takes the Baudelaires away in a taxi at the end of the book. Although Kit Snicket is said to have been at the meeting in the transcripts, that is incorrect. Jacques Snicket, when in the transcript, says that he met everyone except for L (Lemony) at a previous spot where headquarters were. This proves she could have not been at the meeting.
Third guardian of Baudelaire orphans	Both were apparently devoured by the Lachrymose leeches on separate occasions, although it is possible that Aunt Josephine did NOT die, as Lemony Snicket has never directly stated that she died. Ike died before the Baudelaires were put into their care, but Josephine was tossed out of a boat by Count Olaf.
playwright & Dr. Montgomery's former assistant	Uses the Sebald code in his plays and films to pass on coded messages to volunteers, was Uncle Monty's old assistant, was murdered by Count Olaf.
Sister of Dr. Gustav Sebald	Suspected inventor of Sebald code.
Previous resident of the Village of Fowl Devotees and the seventh Baudelaire guardian.	Last known living on a self-made self-sustaining hot air balloon.
Not known	Parents of the Baudelaire orphans, killed in mansion fire supposedly started by Count Olaf (although it is implied that one survives and that it's not the father). In Penultimate Peril, it is implied that the Baudelaire parents were involved in the murder of Olaf's parents.
Orphaned triplets and heirs to the Quagmire Sapphires	The Baudelaires met and befriended Duncan (an aspiring journalist) and Isadora (a poet) at Prufrock Prep School. Quigley was thought to have perished in the fire that killed the Quagmire parents, but is discovered alive in The Slippery Slope. He is a cartographer.
Submarine captain	Stepfather of Fiona and Fernald (The Hook-Handed Man) Widdershins.
Herpetologist	Second and most beloved guardian of the Baudelaires. Actual involvement is debatable; he knew but used incorrectly (possibly on purpose) the Sebald code, but seems to have V.F.D. books in his library, his collection of snakes was used by V.F.D. and he intended to travel on the "Prospero". Died after being injected with snake venom by Count Olaf.
Unknown	Parents of Isadora, Duncan, and Quigley Quagmire. Died in the fire that destroyed their home. Mother hid Quigley in a secret passage leading to Montgomery Montgomery's house.
Unknown	None
Researcher	A member of V.F.D. that is said to be younger than Klaus but same age as his associate.

Villains

Name	Occupation	Plot
Impresario	The Baudelaires' first guardian, intent on acquiring both the Baudelaire and Quagmire fortunes. Previous member of V.F.D. before the schism.
Financial advisor	Sixth guardian of the Baudelaires. Olaf's girlfriend for books 7-12.
Reporter	This impostor disguised herself as Mr. Poe's sister, Eleanora, and changed newspapers on Olaf's orders. Kidnapped the real Eleanora and advised Mr. Poe to reject all telegrams he received, including a request for help from the Baudelaires and another from the real Eleanora.
Fortune teller at Caligari Carnival	Helped Olaf locate the Baudelaires, and later "fell" into a pit of lions.
Mycologist	Stepdaughter of Captain Widdershins. She joined V.F.D. in The Grim Grotto to be close to her brother Fernald, however, in The Penultimate Peril, Count Olaf states that she and her brother took off on a search for their step-father, Captain Widdershins.
Actor	Stepson of Captain Widdershins and brother to Fiona. Didn't get along with his stepfather and subsequently joined V.F.D. as one of Count Olaf's henchmen. He is currently on a mission to find his step-father with his sister, Fiona.
High Court judge	Probably one of the lead villains, considered above even Count Olaf.
High Court judge	Probably one of the lead villains, considered above even Count Olaf. (Also take a look below sectioned "Other possible members")

Other Possible Members

*Mr. Poe
*The Spatses
*Hal
*The Kornbluths
*Sir
*Charles
*Mr. Remora
*Mrs. Bass
*All new members of Count Olaf's theater troupe. That would include Kevin, Colette and Hugo.

V.F.D.: Encyclopedia BETA

Contents