 The
original idea to start a fire department to protect the
Pleasant Garden area surfaced in 1948. However, due to
strong opposition on the part of some and lack of
interest by others the effort went by the wayside. In
1952 the idea resurfaced and Pleasant Garden Fire
Department was organized by a group of citizens
concerned that the Pleasant Garden area had no fire
protection. The work of this group lead by Rev. Dewey
Armstrong along with other local community citizens
brought fire protection to our area and began what now
has become an agency that provides not only fire
protection but emergency medical care, fire and injury
prevention education, community leadership, and a place
where all know the can go for help whether they are
concerned about their spouse’s health or just need
directions.
In the beginning times were hard for the young fire
department. The first and only truck was a 1934 Dodge
fire truck that was purchased from the Town of Madison.
It has since been repurchased and restored. Sometimes
the department had money to buy gas, sometimes the
firemen had to pay for it. Funds for the department came
from memberships purchased by citizens in the fire
district that wanted fire protection. The cost of a
membership was a five-dollar entrance fee and fifty
cents a month. The total funds collected from 1953
through 1955 were $3,516.50. In May of 1955 the Board of
Directors voted to put liability coverage on the fire
truck and purchase worker’s compensation insurance for
the firemen, the cost of both policies totaled $92.00.
This cost was paid by taking up a collection from the
board members, according to minutes from the meeting the
treasury “couldn’t stand it”, the balance in the account
was $25.00
The truck was housed at C. Ross Motors, which is now The
Automotive Center of Pleasant Garden located at 4712
Pleasant Garden Road. Many of the Board of Directors
meetings took place at Jone’s Barber Shop. The first
Chief, J.D. Long served from 1952 until 1955. He was
followed in 1955 by Chief Don McDaniels who served until
1965. Compared to today’s call volume thing were a
little slower than they are now, in 1957 Pleasant Garden
Fire Department responded to sixteen calls. By 1962 the
call volume had more than doubled to thirty-eight calls.
In June 1956, a new fire engine was ordered. American
Fire Equipment built the 1956 Chevrolet at a cost of
$10,550.00 including equipment, the truck was paid for
with an interest free loan from Guilford County.
Probably the most significant change to take place in
the history of the department was in July of 1957 when
the department went from a membership-funded department
to tax based, which guaranteed steady income. The 1957
budget submitted to Guilford County totaled $4,787.00.
In 1958 the department purchased two Scott Air packs at
a cost of $229.00 each. The following year, 1959, the
first tanker was purchased, the 1954 GMC cost $1,300.00
and carried almost 1000 gallons of water. Also in 1959
the department received its first radio through the
Guilford County Fire Protective Association. May of 1960
brought the purchase of a second tanker, it was a 2-˝
ton 6x10 military surplus tanker and was purchased for
250.00.
 In
November of 1961, after two unsuccessful attempts to
purchase land, the department acquired land which is
located in the center of the current location on
Pleasant Garden Road. The following year, an $18,910.00
bid was awarded to build our first official fire station
this building was completed in 1962. After occupying the
new building a second fire engine was purchased. The
1964 Chevrolet had a price tag of $15,200.00 and was
capable of pumping 750 gallons of water per minute. At
the same time a military surplus weapons carrier was
purchased for $225.00 and was converted into a brush
truck.
Pleasant Garden Fire Department joined the newly
established Guilford County Central Alarm System in
November of 1965. The dispatch center was located at the
Airport Fire Department and was manned twenty-four hours
a day. In order to get citizens used to using the new
number, 292-6121, thirty two hundred telephone stickers
were purchased for $22.00 and distributed throughout the
district by the firemen. In January 1966 Pleasant Garden
Fire Department purchased ten Plectron monitors to be
placed in firemen’s homes and businesses. The Board
recognized the daytime manpower shortage as a
significant problem in November 1967 and hired the first
part-time paid personnel. He was paid $18.00 per
eight-hour day on the days he was available to work. In
April of 1969 the addition of a third bay was approved
which made room for the purchase of a rescue squad
vehicle in 1972. As calls and manpower increased the new
fire station became cramped and another addition, which
added a training room and second restroom, was
undertaken. Another first was the hiring of the first
full-time fireman in June of 1974.
By December of 1977 piece-meal turn out gear was
replaced with 30 new full sets of modern turnout gear.
New coats, bunker pants, boots and suspenders were order
for all firefighters at a cost of $170.00 per set. June
of 1978 brought the addition of a second full-time
firefighter and in September of that year the first dry
hydrant was installed at Bonnie Kay’s Seafood on Spur
Road. In February 1979 the addition of a Hurst Rescue
Tool to Squad 3 made us the first Guilford County fire
department to have this advanced rescue capability. 1981
brought the addition of a new service building and
training tower as well as an I.S.O. grading that dropped
the rating from a class 9 to a class 7. The many hours
work by everyone involved to achieve this new rating
dropped insurance rates for Pleasant Garden Fire
District.
On December 31, 1988 Chief Cletus Surratt retired,
ending more than thirty years of service to Pleasant
Garden Fire Department. He was succeeded by Chief Jimmy
Vickrey who updated our fire apparatus with two new
tankers and a new squad truck. Chief Vickrey also led
the effort in the one-half million dollar major
renovation and addition to the fire station building
that was completed in 1992. After 7 ˝ years service as
Chief, Jimmy Vickrey stepped down and Chief Donald
Whitaker served for two years. The outstanding job done
by Chief Whitaker and the countless hours he volunteered
made the Board realize that the position of Chief could
no longer be performed on a volunteer basis and after
the two years service promised by Chief Whitaker, a
full-time paid Chief was hired to take his place. Chief
Bob Halpin brought to us 1 person per 24-hour shift as
well as full computerization of the fire station.
Following the resignation of Chief Halpin in May of
2000, Interim Chief Tim Guffey served until current
Chief Tommy Cole was hired in February of 2001. Chief
Cole has been responsible for increasing the current
staffing to 7 full-time employees and 3 part-time
employees and 29 volunteers. During Chief Cole’s
leadership the department has also took delivery of a
2001 American LaFrance Engine and expects delivery of a
2006 4Guys 3,000 Gallon Tanker in August 2006.
Who knows what advances the next years will bring to us
here in Pleasant Garden as well as the fire service as a
whole. As far as we have come in the first fifty years,
it will be dwarfed by the advances that will have taken
place when we celebrate our centennial. The future looks
a bright as the past was fun, but through it all the
number one ideal is the brotherhood we all share as
firefighters and the one common bond we all share;
service and protection to others. Sometimes they are our
family, neighbors and friends, other times they are
total strangers we will never see again. Either way, our
lives and their lives will be different because due to
some need, large or small, our paths crossed and we as
firefighters made a difference.
 This
brief history just scratches the surface of what really
happened to bring Pleasant Garden Fire Department from
its infancy to where it is today. It touches briefly on
a few names, a few events, and a few dates. It in no way
can come close to describing the struggles encountered
by those during the early years, the thousands of hours
of thankless work, the hundreds of dedicated
individuals, the countless nights with no sleep, and
most importantly the joy and satisfaction incurred by
all people who served the Pleasant Garden community as
well as Guilford County and the State of North Carolina
through Pleasant Garden Fire Department. The people who
serve, and the people they serve, have been and always
will be the heart and soul of the fine organization
called Pleasant Garden Fire Department.
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