Engine 1 responding to a medical emergency on a Thursday night.

Fire Station 1, or Central Fire Station, is located across from Nash Square on South Dawson Street. It’s within view of Carl Regutti’s Fallen Firefighters Statue. As you may have guessed from the name, it was Raleigh’s first Fire Department – although the current building is only about 55 years old.

Seen above are Daryl, Chaz, and Roy sitting on Engine 13, which has a 500 gallon capacity tank.

View of the bay from the top rear of Ladder 1

The present Station 1 opened on October 5, 1953 at 220 S. Dawson Street and initially housed Engine 1, Engine 9, Truck 1, and the newly formed Raleigh Emergency Rescue Squad. The station also housed the offices of the Fire Chief, the two Assistant Chiefs, and the Fire Prevention Bureau.

The $142,106 station was dedicated on the same day. The City Manager presided over the ceremonies which included short speeches from the Mayor, City Council members, and the Fire Chief. Immediately after the ceremonies, members of the fire department’s Ladies Auxiliary held an open house and conducted tours until 9:00 p.m.

Since 1953, Station 1 has operated two engines and a truck company. The second engine company has been numbered Engine 9, Engine 10, Engine 15, and Engine 13. The second engine was also out of service between February 1965 and March 1969.

Station 1 housed a rescue company from 1953 to 1976, and later a Battalion Chief from 1971 to 2004, and a Division Chief from 1992 to 2001. Special units at the Dawson Street station have included a squad truck, a foam unit, a light unit, a fire investigation unit, and an air unit.

Station 1 is the only three-company fire station in Raleigh.

— Mike Legeros

Ladder 1 (pictured above) has a reach of 100 feet (about 10 stories) and has a 300 gallon tank.