The Winston-Salem Fire Department (WSFD) provides

fire protection Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, compartmentalisation, suppression and investigation of fire and its related emergencies, as we ...

to the city of

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. In all the department is responsible for an area of . The history of the WSFD dates back to 1913 when the cities of Winston and Salem merged to form the city of Winston-Salem and gave birth to the Winston-Salem Fire Department.

History

The earliest precursor to the Winston-Salem Fire Department was the Salem Fire Department, created after the construction of the Salem Church. In 1782, the fire inspection service was created to ensure that chimneys were properly being swept. If an infraction was found, the fire inspector could issue fines of up to $1 per day until the owner fixed the issue. In 1951, the Winston-Salem Fire Department became the first integrated department in North Carolina. Eight total firefighters were hired to integrate the department. By 1967, the department was fully integrated.

Incidents

On January 31, 2022, Weaver Fertilizer Plant caught fire in North Winston-Salem, prompting a major response from the department. Chief Mayo said that hundreds of personnel were involved in fighting the fire, and over 4 million gallons of water were used. The plant had large stores of

ammonium nitrate Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is ...

, which made the fire especially dangerous to fight. “At the beginning of this incident, there was enough ammonium nitrate on hand for this to be one of the worst explosions in U.S. history,” Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo said two days after the fire began. Records show that the amount of chemicals onsite were over 4.5 million pounds. Fear of explosion caused the fire department and

Winston-Salem Police Department The Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) is the police department of Winston-Salem inside of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. The department consists of 559 sworn officers and 173 non-sworn officers (). This Department serves the ...

to evacuate over 6,000 individuals, and close several businesses. Because of the work of the fire department, the plant did not explode. The cause of the fire is still under investigation as of June 2022.

Stations and apparatus

this is the current list of stations and apparatus:

References

{{Authority control Fire departments in North Carolina Government agencies established in 1913 1913 establishments in North Carolina