About Us
History
Our department was established in 1958 by a small host of volunteers. There was no station at the time so the fire trucks were kept in a volunteer's yard. In 1960, the firemen erected our first firehouse at the intersection of Spartanburg Highway (now Old Spartanburg Road) and Crest Road. Our main station has undergone many renovations since but is still in the same location.
Blue Ridge Fire and Rescue
Blue Ridge is a combination department with both a paid and volunteer staff. We are proud to be a Class 3 rated fire department by the NC Office of State Fire Marshal. Our main station is located on Old Spartanburg Road and is manned 24/7. We have a sub-station on Greenville Highway in the Village of Flat Rock. Station 2 is located across the street from Flat Rock Playhouse. This station is manned 24/7 with minimum two personnel.
Call Volume
As our service area's population continues to grow so does our call volume. In 2021 we ran 2,377 calls. Our call volume includes numerous amounts of emergencies, including but not limited to, structure fires, motor vehicle accidents (MVA's), medical emergencies, and public service calls. Our overlapping call percentage is 30% for 2021.
Public Safety and Fire Prevention
The best way to fight fire is to prevent it from happening! Every October (Fire Prevention Month), we teach fire prevention at the schools in our district and throughout the rest of the year at events such as Farm City Day and the Flat Rock Ice Cream Social. Fire prevention is a year round undertaking and we continually search for new opportunities to participate in our community!
Training
Our members meet every Monday night to continue our training so that we can better serve the community. In addition, our members hold numerous certifications in the areas of firefighting, rescue, and emergency medicine. We attend off-site classes held at various community colleges and classes at other fire departments.
Fun
We also like to have fun! We participate in many different events such as Farm City Day, YMCA Healthy Kids Day and La Voz Ingles Kid's Day held at Jackson Park. At these events we have trucks and equipment on display. Contact us if you are in our district and would like us to attend an event.