Fire protection in the North Area began in 1935. The City of Charleston Fire Department had been protecting its borders, as a paid department, since 1882. Now the rapidly populating area, known as St. Philips and St. Michaels Parish, was begging for fire protection. This area ran from Mt. Pleasant Street, to McMillan Avenue and to the corner of Montague Avenue and Dorchester Road.

The St. Philips and St. Michaels Parish Fire Department began with one station which was located at the corner of Meeting Street and Kingsworth Street. It was  cinder block with one bay, and had a small cot and coal stove. Another station, opposite the corner of Kraft Avenue and Reynolds Avenue was used for awhile but was closed when Station #2 was built in 1937. The first fire truck was a 1929 Chevrolet with a 250 gpm pump on the front bumper. It had a kerosene lantern for light and a hand cranked siren. The men who started as the first paid firefighters in the North Area were J.Herman Pooser and Elmore L. Rourk.

In 1936, P&MFD built Station #1 and to this day, it still remains at the corner of Pittsburgh and Meeting Streets. It is very bad disrepair and has recently been sold to yet another owner. The next station to be built was Station #2 in 1937. It remains at the corner of Reynolds Avenue and Goldenrod Street and is in good condition. It is owned by Charleston County and has been renovated for use as home base for the CCEMS quick response vehicles, ALPHA 30 and 31. In 1946, Station #3 was built near the corner of Dorchester Road and Kent Street. It has been renovated and is now also owned by Charleston County for use as home base for MEDIC 12.

On March 27,1937 The North Charleston Public Service Commission Fire Department opened for service at 302 Montague Avenue. The first fire truck was a 1937 Seagrave/Ford with a 500 gpm pump. Over the years the two departments fought fire together and had competitions until 1957 when the departments combined to become the North Charleston Consolidated Fire Department. 40 men from around the country took a 100 question test  for the job of Chief of Department with J.Herman Pooser having the highest mark of 94 points. He made Chief Paul Bingham, from North Charleston, his 1st Assistant. Chief Elmore Rourk, from P&M FD, his 2nd Assistant and Chief Elmer Maxwell, from North Charleston, his 3rd Assistant. Along with the 4 Chiefs, the only paid men in the department were 2 Captains per station. They worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off. The rest of the force was made up of volunteers.

This all changed on the night of July 7,1962 when Charlie Davis, North Charleston Chairman of the Commission along with the board decided that a paid fire department was needed. So with the stroke of a pen, the volunteer system in North Charleston was removed and a total paid force was moved in it's place. This did not set well with the volunteers who strongly rejected the idea of a paid department. However all was in vain for the paid service was here to stay. All paid jobs were first offered to the volunteers with a majority of the ranks being filled by them. Some, however ad better paying jobs and would no longer fight fire in North Charleston.

In 1972, the area known as North Charleston applied to become incorporated to gain status as a city. With 8 stations the the fire department became the City of North Charleston Fire Department. Chief Pooser retired soon after, along with Chief Elmore Rourk, in 1973. The job of Chief was given to Captain William Frank New, only after Chief Paul Bingham and Chief Withrock both declined to take the helm.

Not all of the area incorporated with the City of North Charleston. This area fell within the Public Sewer District and they in turn contracted fire protection from North Charleston. This soon changed in 1975 when the North Charleston Sewer District created its own fire department, splitting the existing department in 2 and taken a number of personnel from the existing North Charleston Fire Department. North Charleston District Fire Department, as it became known, took 5 stations and the fledgling City of North Charleston and its fire department took 3 stations. The NCDFD became innovative in the implementation of state of the art equipment and tactics with the introduction of 5" supply line and the areas first fully equipped HAZ-MAT Team. This would come to an end in 1996 when the 2 departments amalgamated into the present day North Charleston Fire Department.

The City of North Charleston Fire Department encompasses over 50 square miles of area and a population nearing 100,000. One of the busiest shipping ports in the world is located on the Cooper River. Thousands of tons of cargo worth millions of dollars pass through the city on a daily basis. One of the largest industrial parks in the state is in the North Battalion. One of the major manufacturers there is American LaFrance Fire Apparatus. North Charleston is also the number one retail city and the 3rd largest city in South Carolina.

From 1935 to the present day, North Charleston has come a long way! In 1935 a fire engine cost around $7000 while today's fire engines cost in excess of $275,000 and weigh over 15 tons! Protective gear for fire fighters has changed over the years from rubber raincoats to fire resistant NOMEX/KEVLAR ultra light gear that braves heat in excess of 2000 degrees!

From ordinary combustibles of the past to the deadly chemicals of today, NCFD has made it through and held its head high!

Nearly 75 years of dedication, training, hard work, tradition and experience have paid off and made City of North Charleston Fire Department one of the best!