Who we are and What we do
Western Wake Fire Rescue proudly protects 6000 permanent residents, people living in an area of 10 square miles. We operate out of Wake County Stations 19 and 29, these stations protect a primarily residential area. Our department is a private department whose members are on a combination of paid and volunteer status. Stations 1 is staffed by part-time personnel 7 days a week from 0700-1800 and by volunteer duty crews from 1800-0700 providing around the clock coverage to our district. Station 2 is staffed by part-time personnel Monday - Friday from 0700-1700, with the remainder of the time having calls ran by volunteers. We have an ISO rating of 4, and were issued that rating in January of 2001 and we are the first unincorporated rural department in Wake County to do so. Both of our neighboring departments Raleigh FD and Cary FD hold Class 3 ratings, which we were 3 points away from achieving. The only way we could have been a Class 3 department would to be staffed 24/7/365. This is a major accomplishment for the entire department.
Western Wake Fire Rescue began service on July 1, 1998. The department is comprised of the former Fairgrounds and YRAC Fire Departments and protects the districts bearing those names. Due to continuing annexations by the City of Raleigh and Cary, budget restraints, as well as increased demands for services, the Board of Directors of both corporations voted in early 1998 to merge all administration and operations effective July 1st. This merger was the first of its kind in Wake County and since has been followed up by a merger of the Six Forks and Bay Leaf Fire Departments.
Western Wake Fire Rescue provides traditional and non-traditional services to a suburban area of Raleigh and Cary, North Carolina. Our fire and first responder district includes the NC State Fairgrounds Complex, and N.C. State University's Carter-Finley Stadium. The bulk of our routine calls are vehicle accidents, first responder calls, or vehicle fires. A large number of these calls are to Interstate 40, which we respond from Exit 285 to 293. Our department also provides first responder services to games, concerts and special events at Carter-Finley Stadium. Western Wake also provides body recovery services (fires, accidents, crime scenes only) county-wide under a contract with Wake County Public Safety. On June 30th Wake County Public Safety ended a 5 year running contract with Western Wake Fire Rescue (Fairgrounds FD) to provide firefighter rehabilitation services with SS-19 and SS-20.
Western Wake Fire Rescue provides county-wide mutual aid for fire suppression activities as well. On each of our structure related fire calls we have another department dispatched as automatic mutual aid. We also respond automatic aid into a large portion of the Town of Cary for structure fire calls. Our Auto-Aid departments include the Bay Leaf Fire Department, Morrisville Fire Department, Durham Highway Volunteer Fire Department, Swift Creek Volunteer Fire Department along with both the City of Raleigh and the Town of Cary Fire Departments. In the past we have also gone to other counties for mutual aid with our former Engine/Tanker 196 due to its large water capacity (2500 gal.). In the summer of 1999 the former 196 provided water in one of the largest tanker shuttles in recent years to Wake-New Hope Volunteer Fire Department on a large house fire. This was in a non-hydrant area and included almost 15 departments. In another example of Western Wake Fire Rescue providing mutual aid, Tanker 198 served as part of a massive tanker shuttle during a large hay barn fire in Fuquay-Varina only weeks after being put in service.
Our Services:
- Fire
- EMS
- Hazardous Materials
- Search and Rescue
- Extrication
- Special Events
- Body Recovery
Our Dispatched Methods:
- Dialing 911
- Raleigh ECC
We Belong to These Organizations:
- North Carolina State Fireman's Association
- Wake County Fireman's Association
- National Fire Protection Association