Upper Hominy Volunteer Fire Rescue, Candler, NC

History of the Upper Hominy
Volunteer Fire Department

In the fall of 1958 the mountains surrounding Hominy Valley came alive with bright autumn hues and cooler temperatures brought wood stoves to life in almost every home. A community was on the verge of being altered by the events that were soon to happen in one particular home. On Upper Glady Fork, Bob Foster was at home. The crisp autumn air, and the encroaching cold weather made having a fire in the heater a necessity more so than a luxury. The fire in the heater was slowly warming the homestead, transforming the house into a home. A distinctive smell appeared. A fire had begun in the chimney. Moments later it began to consume the house. What was being used as a means to keep the house warm was using the structure as fuel, consuming the structure and its contents. A call was made to the closest fire department. The American Enka Corporation Fire Brigade was about 15 miles and well over 30 minutes away on the rural highways which were the arteries of the community. Nearby family and neighbors responded to assist Mr. Foster with extinguishing the fire and salvaging anything that could be saved from this blaze. Mr. Foster made two successful trips into his home, each time returning with prized possessions and family heirlooms which would be impossible to replace. With the structure nearly completely engulfed, Mr. Foster remembered that he had some money hidden inside and against better judgment; he returned into the inferno to recover this last possession and never returned.

This senseless death sounded an alarm in the community, and stirred interest in forming our very own fire department, putting an end to unnecessary loss of life and property. The Community went to work and started their own fire department and in November of 1959 received their official charter. The American Enka Corporation, employer to a large portion of the community, was eager to assist this nearby community and donated an International tanker to assist in the effort.

The fledgling department then began to grow its feathers, but saw the need for additional equipment and training before it could fly. The first thing that was brought to the community was the need for a new pumper. The firemen decide that the needs of the community will be best served with a triple combination American Lafrance. This vehicle could be acquired for the low price of $11,000.00. The next step for procuring this apparatus would be paying for it. This sizeable purchase would definitely test the abilities of the firefighters of Upper Hominy. Community drives, bake sales, raffles, auctions, and tithes were used to gather the down payment of over $2000.00 dollars that was raised for the 1961 Ford Engine. In March 1961, this apparatus began its service to the community. The department gained the use of an old 5/4 ton military vehicle which was converted by the volunteers for a rescue vehicle. The Upper Hominy Volunteer fire department was first rated by the state of North Carolina and ISO as a class 9 in 1962.

Ray Davis, the Fire Chief at that time, was a local storeowner and had a building behind his store. The department used the building for storing the equipment, and meetings and training drills were held inside of the store. With the equipment and training off to a good start to protect the citizens of the community, the firefighters then began focusing their attention on a station to house the fire department’s equipment and a more suitable place to have meetings and training drills. Land was acquired and construction followed through 1964 to build the main station at 1750 Pisgah Highway. This is the same primary station that we still operate currently. In 1967 the building was completed and the Firefighters moved into their new station.

Paying for a Fire Department was an expensive undertaking. Paying for apparatus and a building, utilities to keep the building warm during the freezing months, lights to illuminate the building at night, and everything that comes with running a fire station was a hefty undertaking for the firefighters. The firefighters were known to take money from their pockets to put fuel in the truck so it would be full for the next emergency. It was presented to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners to support this not-for-profit agency with a Fire Tax. What would this fire tax do? It would alleviate the need for so much fund-raising and allow for more training. This in turn, would allow for better trained firefighters in the community, decreasing the amount of homeowners insurance by as much as thirty percent. So to the polls we went. The ordinance was passed by a margin of 234 for the tax and 134 against. The fire department now had a tax base in which to operate. This referendum would stand as funding for the department for the next ten years at which time it returned to the ballots and passed again.

The next years were spent with the firefighters improving their skills through training, with our first EMT being trained in 1972 in Haywood County. Building a tanker in the station and purchasing a new engine in 1979, helped to improve equipment. These trucks were paid for the day that they entered the fire station and free and clear of debt. It was obvious that the department was full of firemen with the know-how and how-to that comes from a group of self starters who know what they want and were willing to work to get it.

In 1983, the county had many areas of "no-mans-land". These areas were basically unprotected by fire departments and were afforded protection by near-by departments. However, the insurance companies did not recognize these people being in a fire district so the Upper Hominy district was upgraded from a 4 mile district to a 5 mile district, re-chartered and renamed the Upper Hominy Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, Inc.

Countless fires, medical emergencies, two plane crashes, a flood, and numerous rescues have forged this department into what it is today. A strong resource, which added a new sub-station in 1983, extending the fire district to a 5-mile district, providing better coverage for the Beaverdam area of the district and giving our department the largest district allowed at that time in the state.

How we serve you now…We provide fire protection to the community with a split district. Insurance classification 6 in areas that are within 1000 feet of a hydrant and classification 9 in areas that do not have hydrants. The department provides medical aid in the form of First Responders at the Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate level, the highest level provided by any agency in Buncombe County or Western North Carolina.

We operate a Medium Duty Rescue Vehicle that is equipped for Vehicle Extrication; High and Low angle rescue, Fire Support, and also serves as an EMT-Intermediate QRV (Quick Response Vehicles).
This vehicle is affectionately referred to as Rescue 12.

The 1961 American Lafrance was donated in 1997 to Country Fire Department in Madison County, and of last account was still running fine. Since then added to our fleet of vehicles have been a 1979 Grumman-Howe pumper which is called Engine 12-2, a 1986 FMC Pumper-Tanker which is Engine 12-3, and a 2000 International All-Wheel-Drive KME Pumper-Tanker, Engine 12. To better serve residents which live in a Wildland Urban Interface area, we operate Squad 12,
a 1990 Boardman mini-pumper.

To respond to the many medical emergencies in the community, we operate three EMT-Intermediate level QRV’s (Quick Response Vehicles). The Primary Vehicle utilized is Tac 12. Second out vehicle is Truck 12, and in the event of a third call or MVA, we use Rescue 12. In the event of no available EMS units we have an EMT-Intermediate level Type I ambulance, 1210. Quick response by Buncombe EMS and the added benefit of paramedic level care to our citizens has been a bonus to our community.

We would like to encourage members of our community to become part of the history of this department. With the community as a part of our history, the possibilities are endless as to what we can accomplish for the future.