In 1949, there was talk of the need of fire protection for this part of the county. The first organizational meeting was held on January 24, 1950 by a group of respected community leaders from the Winfield and Foley area. A twelve member board was elected to research and form a volunteer fire department. Over the next 6 months, the “Winfield Foley Rural Fire District” was incorporated, contributions were accepted, and a 1950 Chevrolet fire truck built by Central Fire Apparatus was delivered. The cost of the truck, fully equipped for firefighting, was a whopping $7609.65! This department was funded by a “tag” system where people paid a yearly dues for fire protection. Each home paid an assessment of $5.00 per year.
At the March 29, 1951 board meeting, it was reported the truck had responded to 8 calls in the final six months of 1950 plus 2 more calls in the first 4 months of 1951. Earl Snarr, the first Fire Chief, requested $510 for 1952 to maintain the truck.
There was one station at the time, in Winfield.
Over the next 40 years the population of the area continued to skyrocket, and the fire department did its best to maintain adequate services. In 1975, a station was built in Foley and then in 1982, a station was built on Highway 47 West of town.
On April 3, 1990, the voters of our district voted into existence the “WINFIELD FOLEY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT”, a tax based political subdivision. The tax rate was set at $0.30 per thousand. Today, we have four stations, with state of the art equipment and volunteers that are highly trained in fire suppression, rescue, and medical emergencies. WFFPD stands ready to grow into the future by keeping up with current population growth and staying abreast of the ever-changing fire suppression tactics.