The 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 ESFD. 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 1994 Pirsch with 50 feet of hose and no other equipment. This truck was
housed in a garage behind Raymond Purvis's house until a station could be built.
The first fire that ESFD responded to was at Wright's Cedar Works on US HWY 64. 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. ESFD was assisted by Franklinville Fire Dept. 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 sings. In 1979, the members of ESFD 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 conducted by the North Carolina
Department of Insurance. For four days, our ability to haul water to fire scenes, training records,
call response, 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.
Randolph Volunteer Fire Department. Central Randolph is still the official name of the district but
we operate as ESFD. 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 1994 Pirsch with 50 feet of hose and no other equipment. This truck was
housed in a garage behind Raymond Purvis's house until a station could be built.
The first fire that ESFD responded to was at Wright's Cedar Works on US HWY 64. 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. ESFD was assisted by Franklinville Fire Dept. 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 sings. In 1979, the members of ESFD 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 conducted by the North Carolina
Department of Insurance. For four days, our ability to haul water to fire scenes, training records,
call response, 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.
Tradition Matters.
| History |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |