Copyright 2019 Management Solutions for Emergency Services All Rights Reserved
4664 Old Belews Creek Rd
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
5225 Main St
Walkertown, NC 27051
On February 27, 1953 the Walkertown Civic Club met with the Walkertown Community
Council to discuss the needs for a fundraising campaign to begin the process for establishing a
community volunteer fire department. At that time, fire protection to the area was being
supplied by City View, Mineral Springs and the County fire truck 109. Attention was increased
by fires that had occurred in other areas with no fire protection and locally by the Walkertown
Chair Factory fire and the Loves Church fire in 1947. In March of 1953, a campaign goal of
$15,000 was set with a goal of purchasing fire protection equipment. Support was also provided
by the Forsyth County School Board in their interest of having a more formal system of fire
protection for the 3 story Walkertown School Building on Main Street. Early fire protection for
the school consisted of school staff and high school boys being trained in the use of large fire
extinguishers stored in a building near the gym. Some of these individuals became members of
the fire department.
On April 24, 1953 a public meeting was held at the Walkertown School and the name
Walkertown Volunteer Fire Department was adopted and the initial fire district was set the
same as the Walkertown School District. This covered much of northeast Forsyth County
bounded by the Belews Creek Road- Kernersville School District, The City View School District
and the Mineral Springs School District. In September 1953 a small tract of land in the central
business area on Main Street was purchased for $1300.00 with plans to build a block building
for fire trucks. In the meantime a small metal building housed large fire extinguishers and other
firefighting equipment for use by citizens to fight fires. On October 16, 1953, the group took
delivery of a GMC truck with John Bean fire equipment mounted on the chassis as the first fire
engine at a cost of $ 9,276.00. A group of men began training with the truck as assisted by
members of neighboring fire departments who lived in the area. The group of men were led by
the first Fire Chief Clyde Webster, who served in that position until 1978.
Construction of the building to house the truck was completed in May of 1954 and the
organizers approved the purchase of a Ford truck with a 1000 gallon tank of water. In 1955, the
Walkertown Sanitary District was formed and the boundaries extended approximately one mile
from the fire station. The district was established to create a public water system supplied by
large wells that feed an elevated tank behind the fire station. In that same year the organizers
also named the Clyde Webster as the Fire Chief of the Sanitary District. The Sanitary District
purchased a 1961 fire engine with a 500 gallon per minute pump to be used by the firemen for
fires in the “town”. In 1963, the Department purchased a Ford/Howe fire engine with an 800
gallon tank and in 1971, a Ford fire engine was purchased with a 1000 gallon per minute pump.
In 1975, a Ladies Auxiliary was formed which provided major support and funding for
the Department that allowed the organization to grow to meet the demands of the growing
community. The group also provide food and refreshments at emergency and events. This
group along with the Firemen’s Fund operated by the Volunteer members provided internal
support and community support. In 1976 a Chevrolet Brush/Forestry truck was added to the
fleet.
1976 also saw a major addition constructed, which added bay space, large kitchen and
meeting room. Mr. Gray Martin who was a fire department member and employed by the
Forsyth County Fire department pushed for a rescue squad service to be provide by the
Department, so in November 1977, members met, organized, and took specialized training to
provide formal rescue services. The first truck was a U.S. Civil Defense surplus 1963
International truck and later a new 1979 rescue truck was purchased.
The Walkertown Volunteer Fire Department continued to grow and operate as an
independent organization and incorporated in 1976. The N.C. Department of Insurance
established a formal Northeast Fire District of Forsyth County and assigned the district to
Walkertown Volunteer Fire Department. In 1983 Walkertown Fire Department help to organize
the Salem Chapel Fire Department which became an independent district to serve the northern
highway 311 area of Forsyth County. The Town of Walkertown did not exist until a vote by the
citizens in 1984 to incorporate the town where by the Walkertown Sanitary District became the
Town of Walkertown on August 22nd. The Town contracted with the Walkertown Volunteer
Fire Department for services and continues to do so today.
Funding needs for the Fire Department continued to increase along with the demands
for service. In 1985 the rural taxpayers of the Northeast Fire District voted to fund their
Department with a Fire Tax. This solid form of funding helped to support the needs of the
Department serving a rapidly growing area. In 2000 a large new modern fire station was
constructed just north of the present station. In a speech at the dedication ceremonies, then
Chief Denis Whicker stated that the new facility was not built just for today but to serve the
growing needs of the next 50 years. The Department has been fortunate to have forward
thinking leaders who are conservative but at the same time practical about the needs of the
community.
The 1990’s and 2000’s Walkertown saw rapid growth in populations, commercial
construction, and highway construction. A much needed Ladder Truck was added to the fleet as
required to maintain the ISO Insurance Grade especially for the commercial development of the
Town. The Town of Walkertown had unprecedented petition annexations in the 1990’s that
created a challenge for entities providing services to the Town. Neighboring Kernersville and
Winston-Salem annexations also created service and funding challenges. This spurred much
planning by fire service leaders. The historic boundaries of the Walkertown / Northeast Fire
District along with its neighboring fire departments and communities began to blur as
development crossed all lines. Planning that began in 1992 and rapidly formalized in 2019
which resulted in the reorganization of the Walkertown Volunteer Fire Department. The
Taxpayers voted on a merger plan with neighboring City View and Talley’s Crossing to become
the new Walkertown Fire Department, Inc. on January 1, 2020.
In the late 1940’s our developing rural communities saw the perils of fire with the loss of
many houses, businesses and churches including Crews Church in 1946. The people of Crews
Church, City View Baptist Church (Edgewood), City View Men’s Club, City View School (Petree)
met and organized the fire department in 1949. It was one of the first rural fire departments in
Forsyth County and covered eastern Forsyth County and assisted Winston-Salem, Kernersville,
High Point, Mocksville and helped other communities establish their local volunteer fire
departments. The early equipment was housed at a gas station owned by Bud Sink near present
day Old Greensboro Road and Highway 158. In 1952 the department was incorporated as
required for rating and construction began on a fire station at what was then the intersection of
the new Highway 421 and N.C. 65 “New Belews Creek Road” which today is known as Old
Greensboro Road and Highway 158. During construction, by the members, an early season
hurricane spawned heavy rains and winds that collapsed the partially completed basement
walls and construction had to start over. The finished building had a basement, main floor with
2 bays and community meeting room and an unfinished second floor. A fire siren set atop a 50
foot roof top pole that could be heard from miles away.
Dispatch was handled by calling the Winston-Salem Police Department in the basement
of City Hall. The police dispatcher would call a City View Firemen’s home which would initiate a
phone tree call system among members or the person needing help could call a Firemen’s
home directly. The first Firemen to get the call would respond to the Station to activate the roof
top fire siren and write the address on a chalk board, other firemen would respond to the scene
or to the station to get additional apparatus. The first apparatus would throw a small bag of
lime or flour out the truck window at each intersection to help guide other responders. Each
Firemen also carried fire extinguishers, rakes, buckets, tarps and first aid equipment in their
personal vehicles. This was a common practice for all other rural fire departments at that time
and each had their own method of dispatch. Most of the early fire trucks were built by the
membership using military chassis or used truck chassis.
City View was strict on training and met every Tuesday evenings. Much time was also
spent on fundraisers and each firemen had to donate 25 cents, 50 cents, a dollar or so when
the hat was passed around at weekly training session. The Ladies Auxiliary helped with
fundraising and a door to door donation drive was held annually in the fall with envelopes being
hung on all doors the first Saturday and then picked up on the second Saturday.
In the 1960’s the firehouse was remodeled and the 2 nd floor was finished with firemen’s
quarters, a new kitchen was built on the main floor and a bay was added in the basement. The
1970’s brought on formal NFPA training and equipment requirements that the department
adopted. City View challenged the N.C. Department of insurance grading system that assigned
rural fire departments a standard 9 ISO grade – the result was an ISO Grade 6 which was a first
for an all volunteer fire department in NC. The 1970’s also saw major annexations by Winston-
Salem which required contracts for service with City View to cover the expanded areas. At the
time the original City View Fire District western boundaries were around Winston-Salem State
University, Reynolds Park Road, East 5 th Street and New Walkertown Road. Demands increased
and donations fell off as new populations coming into the area were not accustom to VFD
funding methods and did not donate, so the burden fell on a small percentage of the early
citizens. In 1982 those same citizens elected to set up a Fire Tax District to fund the
department.
In 1984 bay additions and modern bathrooms were added to accommodate required
equipment and quarters for members. Again in 1987 annexations, highway plans and
population growth spurred the fire departments to do formal future planning. The long range
plans involved fire station relocations, merging of systems and organizations and more
cooperation across the board. In 1987 City View established a live in resident program that
provided housing for single individuals in turn for staffing and maintenance duties.
After much planning, a new fire station was constructed at 4664 Old Belews Creek Road
in 1990 and Winston-Salem began planning for a new fire station near Linville Road. The site
was selected based upon NFPA modelling, highway plans, plans of other organizations and
apparatus requirements. In 1995 the department started a “Dayshift” program, which hire part
time members to staff the station during the daytime hours, as the loss of manufacturing jobs
in our area did away with many evening and night shift jobs thus greatly reducing the
availability of daytime volunteer manpower. In 1998, the Talley’s Crossing Fire Department was
merged into the City View Fire Department. In 1999 City View celebrated its 50 th year of service
with activities involving many of its founding members.
In the early 2000’s, City View and Talley’s personnel worked to improve equipment,
staffing and response times. The N.C. Department of Insurance issued an improved ISO Grade 4
for all areas of the district with and without fire hydrants. This moved much of the old Talley’s
Fire District from a Grade 9 to an improved grade 4 thus providing a savings to citizens in
insurance premiums. The 2000’s also involved more formal countywide future planning studies.
In January 2020, after intense final planning with a process that started in 1992, the City View
Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. became part of the new Walkertown Fire Department Inc.
The Talley’s Crossing Volunteer Fire Department was organized soon after the spring of
1954 as a result of a large brush fire that threatened many structures. The fire was fought by
neighbors and units from the City View and Walkertown Fire Departments. The Community saw
the need for their own fire department and worked closely with City View and Forsyth County
personnel to organize the new department. A tract of land was purchased from Mrs. Nannie
Harrell near the intersection of U.S. Highway 421 and N.C. 66 which is now known as West
Mountain Street and Hopkins Road.
In 1954 the Talley’s Crossing area was a busy crossroads with gas stations, stores,
markets and other businesses on original route of U.S Highway 421, which was prior to the
construction of I-40. The community also had a train station and the first TV station in
northwest North Carolina being WSJS TV Channel 12 (WXII). The broadcast building and tower
were located near Pisgah Methodist Church. The tower was removed when East Forsyth Middle
school was constructed.
Construction on the original fire department building began in 1955 and consisted of a
30 foot by 40 foot 2 story block building that had 2 apparatus bays on the first floor and a
meeting hall on the second floor. The members of the community and firefighters provided the
labor and lumber was donated “on the stump” by local landowners. In 1955 a contract was
drawn for the first fire engine which was an 800 gallon pumper on a GMC 2 ton chassis. In 1957
the department added a 1945 surplus military tanker that carried 1200 gallon of water. The
department also organized a traffic control division to help with traffic at emergencies and civic
events. Traffic was a major issue as N.C. 66 and U.S. 421 were the only major routes in eastern
Forsyth County.
The Talley’s fire district had a large area that ran from Hastings Hill Road wrapped
around the small town of Kernersville to the Guilford County Line bounded by the City View,
Walkertown and Beesons Cross Roads Fire Departments. Talley’s was a major source of
assistance to the Kernersville Fire Department. In 1957, the members dug a well on the south
side of the station and a one story addition was constructed that contained a kitchen, meeting
room and bathrooms. The members also constructed a large barbecue pit and shelter that was
use by the Ladies Auxiliary and members to cook and sale barbecue, which was the major fund
raiser for the department. The Ladies Auxiliary also cooked chicken pies, held auctions and
other fundraiser events to support the fire department. The members also used the pit to cook
meals and fund many other needs in the community. In 1963 Talley’s purchased a Ford chassis
with a 1000 gallon tank to replace the 1945 military tanker. In 1978 the Department obtained a
surplus military jeep which they converted to a brush truck to fight off road fires and
woodlands.
The rapidly growing communities surrounding Kernersville put additional demands on
the fire department that exceeded revenue from fundraisers so the citizens signed a petition to
form a Fire Tax District in 1984. The vote was overwhelming approved by the property owners.
The new revenue allowed Talley’s to purchase much needed equipment and personal
protective wear for the firefighters. In 1987, a one story addition was constructed to house
additional fire engines required to maintain and improve the ISO Insurance grade for the fire
district. Kernersville began annexing residential areas of Hopkins Road and West Mountain
Street in 1988 and contracted with Talley’s to provide fire protection. The contract helped to
fund some paid firefighters and provide funding to cover some part time pay for the fire chief
and an administrative assistant to help meet the time consuming demands for the rapidly
urbanizing area. Talley’s Crossing was the first volunteer fire department in Forsyth County to
begin paying firefighters to work a formal shift to handle the increased call volume and to
make up for the decline in volunteers. The 1980’s and 1990’s brought many updates to the fleet
and updates to the building to handle live in firefighters. Talley’s members put a lot of value on
training in order to carry out safe operations and meet new NFPA Standards.
Forsyth County population growth, highway plans, and commercial growth prompted
fire service leaders and local government to study present and future needs. Plans were
developed to handle the growth, construct fire stations, remap fire districts, and merge
organizations serving these common growth areas. In 1998, the Town of Kernersville conducted
major annexations which eliminated over 50% of the Talley’s Crossing fire tax revenue.
However the demands for service did not reduce. This was a common issue for rural fire
departments located near cities and towns and one that was included in future plans. In 1998,
Talley’s Crossing merged with the City View Volunteer Fire Department and continued to
operate the Hopkins Road station until such time that various elements of the future plans
were accomplished. In 2013, Forsyth County remapped all fire districts and N.C. Department of
Transportation began planning for improvements to Hopkins Road. Future planning continued
which included winding down operations at the Hopkins Road location. In 2020, City View,
Talley’s and Walkertown Volunteer Fire Departments became Walkertown Fire Department,
Inc. The group continued to work to improve staffing, equipment, and response times. As a
result, the remaining Talley’s Fire District improved from ISO grade 4 to a grade 3. In 2021 the
N.C. Department of Transportation finalized the Hopkins Road plan and purchased right-of-way
which was the last step in discontinuing service from the Hopkins Road location. Talley’s
personnel continue to respond to calls and serve the community, but now as members of the
new Walkertown Fire Department.
Copyright 2019 Management Solutions for Emergency Services All Rights Reserved