Arlington Community Volunteer Fire Department (ACVFD)
Chartered May 5th 1958
Three of the founding members were:
Kenneth Brown
Sherman Morrison
Pat Patterson
During this time the fire department served the town of Arlington and the rural area of Yadkin County surrounding Arlington and Jonesville. The department worked from donations given from residents and businesses in the district. On September 10th 1974 the citizens of the district voted in a special election to pass a Fire Protection District. From that point forward Arlington Community Volunteer Fire Department became tax supported and was the first in the county to operate from a fire tax. On May 10th 1997 another election was held to remove the fire tax and the Fire Protection District. The fire tax and Fire Protection district was again approved by the voters and remains in effect.
In 1979 the members of the fire department wanted to provide more services to the citizens of the area. Medical classes were offered at the station through Surry Community College and upon completion of the Red Cross Advanced First Aid and Emergency Care Course and the North Carolina Emergency Medical Technician Course ACVFD entered into an agreement with Yadkin County Emergency Medical Services to respond to medical calls in the ACVFD district. This started the Arlington Quick Response Team and was another first in Yadkin County.
With the addition of medical assistance to the provided fire protection ACVFD started offering rescue services. This prompted Arlington Community Volunteer Fire Department to change its charter to include the medical and rescue services. This also brought about the official name changed to Arlington Fire & Rescue Inc. on December 10th 1991. A few years after the department included rescue in the charter some members of the Yadkin County Rescue Squad approached Arlington about purchasing and maintaining a hydraulic rescue tool in the district to aid them with their longer response times to the area. In 1994 along with the purchase of an engine and rescue truck Arlington purchased an Amkus Hydraulic Rescue Tool complete with pump, spreader, cutter, and ram.
In 2005 a medical call sparked the members interest in going to an advanced level of medical care. The level was called the Emergency Medical Technician Defibrillation or EMT-D. This was an advanced level of care offered by the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services, and it was needed to be able to carry and use an Automated External Defibrillator or AED. This would require an expansion of the Yadkin County EMS to recognize this level and offer medical direction. Once again Arlington's members were in medical school with the goal of becoming an EMT-D. In 1996 the Advanced Life Support Program of EMT-D for Arlington Fire & Rescue was dedicated to the community member who's emergency inspired the members to move up to an advanced level of emergency medical care. Arlington was the first to obtain this advanced level of care with other departments to follow a few years later.
Fire Chiefs of Arlington Community Volunteer Fire Department Inc. / Arlington Fire & Rescue Inc.:
Pat Patterson
Rani Smith
Gayl Burch
Sonny Burch
Ronnie Ball
Scotty Calloway
Kevin Macemore - Current Chief