Our rich history of fire protection in Forsyth County dates back to the Town of Salem
when in 1772 town leaders set up “Fire watch” crews to patrol the town. Salem also purchased
one of the first hand pump fire engines in the Country that came from Germany and
established the Salem Rough and Ready Volunteer Fire Company in 1785. Salem set up fire
ordinances on safe chimney construction and all buildings had to have fire buckets. Salem had
one of the first fire stations in the Country and a water system made from bored wooden logs
with wooden “fire plugs” to serve as hydrants. In 1849 Salem set aside land for the new town of
Winston which established a volunteer fire company in 1876. Winston and Salem merged in
1913 and then in 1923 the Winston and Salem volunteer fire companies merged to become the
Winston-Salem Fire Department. In 1871 the small village of Kernersville incorporated and the
in 1923 established a volunteer fire department and hired a fire chief and driver. Later in 1964
paid firefighters were hired.
The ability to have fire protection in the rural areas of Forsyth County was limited due
to the lack of a water system and telephone lines. During World War II the U.S. Navy developed
firefighting techniques utilizing high pressure fog nozzles that allowed a small amount of water
to quickly control large fuel feed fires on ships. This was critical due to the explosive ordinances
and fuels on the ship and also not to flood the ship during a fire. Service men returning from
war in the late 1940’s had witnessed the destruction of towns in Europe and Japan due to
incendiary bombing and thus understood the need for fire departments. As our rural areas
developed so did the occurrences of fires in homes, schools, businesses and churches. Rural fire
protection could now be possible utilizing Navy fog nozzles and a truck with a pump and a tank
of water. Air raid sirens from the war could be used to alert firefighters. Communities also used
war technology to set up telephone systems in rural areas. This spurred the establishment and
growth of rural volunteer fire departments in Forsyth County.
A few communities establish home grown volunteer fire departments in the late 1940’s.
The Forsyth County Commissioners provided some annual funding for communities who would
establish a formal fire department that met the rating requirements of the North Carolina
Department of Insurance. In 1951 Forsyth County established the first County Fire Marshal’s
Office and County Fire Department in North Carolina. Forsyth County set up the first rural fire
inspection program and the first rural Fire Communication/Dispatch center in the Southeast.
The initial County Fire dispatch center started in 1953 and was located in a back room of the old
Winston Engine 3 firehouse located near 16 th and Liberty Street. This station also housed the
County Fire Truck. In 1963 a new County fire station was built beside the Terminal Building at
Smith–Reynolds Airport. In 1968 the Forsyth County Fire Department began providing
countywide Ambulance/EMS services. The early rural fire departments of Forsyth County,
Sedge Garden, City View, Southfork, Forest Hill, Lewisville, Clemmons and Mineral Springs
organized the Forsyth County Volunteer Firemen’s Association in the early 1950’s to
coordinated countywide fire protection efforts and help organize other fire departments.

Many other communities organized volunteer fire department in the 1950’s and 1960’s
as assisted by the earlier fire departments. All fire departments worked together and helped
each other on fires. Churches, Civic clubs, businesses and individuals stepped up to support the
volunteer fire departments. Donations and fund raisers were the primary source of revenue for
the rural fire departments through the 1970’s. Various Congressional acts concerning fire
protection and safety had a large impact on all emergency providers in the 1980’s. That impact
stretched the limited funding provided by donations and people moving into North Carolina
were not accustom to fire services funded by donations. Community leaders were faced with
the need to find a different system of funding and many communities voted to fund their local
rural fire department with a special fire tax district.
Rapid growth of the 1990’s and 2000’s brought increased demands on emergency
providers. This spurred leaders from across Forsyth County to conduct formal studies and make
detailed plans for the future. Plans included realignment of responsibilities, relocations and
construction of new facilities, closure of outdated facilities and mergers of various
organizations. In 2013 all fire districts were remapped utilizing GIS mapping. County
Commissioners approved the maps which were adopted by the N.C. Department of Insurance.
In 2017 the process was implemented to update and merge certain Emergency 911
Communications Centers which streamline operations between the various emergency service
organizations. Cooperation among all agencies has been the key to the success of the individual
fire departments across Forsyth County. This cooperative effort has created a coordinated
system of providing service to the citizens which includes all Fire Departments, EMS, Law
Enforcement and Emergency Management organizations working together to respond to you in
your time of need.