East Side Fire Department was formed on April 1, 1968 and chartered as the Central
Randolph Volunteer Fire Department. Central Randolph is still the official name of the district, but
we operate as East Side Fire Department. The department was formed because the area was
becoming more populated and the City of Asheboro decided that it could no longer provide
adequate fire protection to the area.
Our first fire truck was a 1944 Pirsch with 50 feet of hose and no other equipment. This truck
was housed in a garage behind Raymond Purvis's home until a fire station could be built.
The first fire that East Side responded to was at Wright's Cedar Works on Highway 64 East. It was
raining so hard that the driver couldn't see, especially since the fire truck was a convertible and
did not have a roof at all. East Side was assisted by Franklinville Fire Department on the call, a
relationship that continues to this day.
When it was first formed, funds for the operation of the department were raised through fish
fries, hot dog suppers, and gospel singings. In 1979, the members of East Side's fire district voted
in a fire tax which was initially set at six cents per $100.00 tax value. Today, that rate has only
risen two pennies to eight cents per $100 tax evaluation.
In October of 2003, a comprehensive review of our operation was conducted by the North
Carolina Department of Insurance. For four days, our ability to haul water to fire scenes, training
records, call responses, automatic aid agreements with neighboring departments, and equipment
was evaluated by DOI inspectors. As a result, our insurance classifications dropped from a 9 to a
6/9. This saved the members of our district lots of money on their insurance bills. More recently,
in May of 2010, East Side was again rated by the North Carolina Department of Insurance
inspector’s. As a result, our classification dropped from a 6/9 to a 5/9. This helped business
owners and farmers save money on their insurance bills, as well as homeowners.
The past several years have been a time of tremendous growth for our district. Where there
were once farms, there are now housing developments. Where there once were woods, we now
have businesses. ESFD is working hard to meet the challenges of the present with an eye toward
the future. Click To View Old School Photos
Randolph Volunteer Fire Department. Central Randolph is still the official name of the district, but
we operate as East Side Fire Department. The department was formed because the area was
becoming more populated and the City of Asheboro decided that it could no longer provide
adequate fire protection to the area.
Our first fire truck was a 1944 Pirsch with 50 feet of hose and no other equipment. This truck
was housed in a garage behind Raymond Purvis's home until a fire station could be built.
The first fire that East Side responded to was at Wright's Cedar Works on Highway 64 East. It was
raining so hard that the driver couldn't see, especially since the fire truck was a convertible and
did not have a roof at all. East Side was assisted by Franklinville Fire Department on the call, a
relationship that continues to this day.
When it was first formed, funds for the operation of the department were raised through fish
fries, hot dog suppers, and gospel singings. In 1979, the members of East Side's fire district voted
in a fire tax which was initially set at six cents per $100.00 tax value. Today, that rate has only
risen two pennies to eight cents per $100 tax evaluation.
In October of 2003, a comprehensive review of our operation was conducted by the North
Carolina Department of Insurance. For four days, our ability to haul water to fire scenes, training
records, call responses, automatic aid agreements with neighboring departments, and equipment
was evaluated by DOI inspectors. As a result, our insurance classifications dropped from a 9 to a
6/9. This saved the members of our district lots of money on their insurance bills. More recently,
in May of 2010, East Side was again rated by the North Carolina Department of Insurance
inspector’s. As a result, our classification dropped from a 6/9 to a 5/9. This helped business
owners and farmers save money on their insurance bills, as well as homeowners.
The past several years have been a time of tremendous growth for our district. Where there
were once farms, there are now housing developments. Where there once were woods, we now
have businesses. ESFD is working hard to meet the challenges of the present with an eye toward
the future. Click To View Old School Photos
History
Tradition Matters...
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