Station 6 was dedicated on March 3, 1943, in a ceremony attended by officials
including the Mayor, the Commissioner of Public Safety, the Fire Chief, the
State Fire Marshal, and the chief of the city’s auxiliary firefighters. Engine 6 operated a 1919 American LaFrance pumper, purchased in 1942 at auction from Farmville, NC. Six men manned the station at the northwest edge of the city: Capt. Charles L. Hayes, Lt. John B. Keeter, and firefighters William J. Gardner, C. Douglas Mills, Carl L. Wall, and William W. White. It served the Hayes Barton area including Budleigh, Anderson Heights, Woodrow Park, Vanguard Park, and Villa Park. Permanent Fire Station Plans for a permanent fire station were completed in August 1946. Construction was delayed for three years. Shortages of labor and materials were impacting building projects at the time. In May 1948, the city lost its lease to the rented building and Engine 6 was relocated to Station 5. On June 25, 1949, a new Station 6 opened at 2601 Fairview Road. Two days later, Truck 6 was placed in service with a 1922 American LaFrance service ladder truck. Twenty-two firemen staffed the $65,000 station designed by local architect William H. Deitrick. The two-story engine house measured 5,408 square-feet. The following spring, Engine 6 received a 1950 Mack, one of the first modern pumpers purchased by the city. The engine served for a quarter century on Fairview Road. It operated as a reserve unit for many more years, and is presently part of the fire department’s antique fleet. Truck
6, a service ladder company, operated until 1979. Station 6 also housed a
Battalion Chief from 1975 to 1988, and a rescue company from 1982 to 2001. On June 27, 2009, the fire station’s 60th anniversary was celebrated with an open house. Old Engine 6 was displayed, with other antique and modern apparatus. The event included a hot dog lunch, tours of the fire station, and birthday cake served by Fire Chief John McGrath. Rebuilt Fire Station In the mid-2010s, planning started on a replacement fire station at the same site. In October 2015, the first public meeting was held to present the plans to residents. In March 2017, the construction bid was awarded. On May 29, 2017, Station 6 closed and Engine 6 relocated to Station 5. On August 2, 2017, demolition of the fire station started. Construction was planned to take fourteen months. Demolition was completed with a week or two. Site preparation was underway by December 2017, including the installation of a sand filter in November, under the location of the parking lot site, to help with storm water run-off. Project delays presented over the next couple of years, including the removal of two underground fuel tanks, the testing for and removal of contaminated soil, and resolution of unsuitable soil issue. Completion and occupation is planned for January 2021. The engine house was reactivated at 1:30 p.m. on March 29, 2021. Earlier that morning, Engine 6 relocated from their temporary quarters shared with Engine 5 at Station 5 on Oberlin Road. They were later joined by Ladder 6, relocated from Station 23 on Pinecrest Road. Last updated: July 18, 2022
Mike Legeros photo
Second Station 6
First Station 6
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