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History of Red Oak Fire Rescue
- The city purchased its first fire truck in 1949 and the first Fire Chief was Joe Smith until 1958. Perry McCalman was appointed in 1958.
- In 1951 another fire truck was purchased.
- April 1963, the largest fire in the city’s history where the local high school and gymnasium burnt to the ground.
- 1949 to September 1997 - All-Volunteer Fire Department
- In 1988, the Ellis County Fire District #3 was established to cover areas beyond the city limits of Red Oak.
- October 1997 established a combination fire department (Volunteer & Paid). 2 part-time firefighters working 8 am-4 pm
- In 2001, began 24-hour coverage utilizing part-time personnel.
- In June 2004, ROFR adopted their first state-approved Emergency Management Plan.
- In 2004 became a certified training facility through the State of Texas.
- In 2004, the Department became a charter member of the EDUCT Group (Ellis Dallas Unified Cooperative Team), a 10-city collaborative team for training, risks assessment, and responses. This team’s goal is to bring unity to the departments within the region.
- In 2005, Ellis County Fire District #3 changed its name to Emergency Service District #4.
- In 2006, Red Oak Fire Department changed its name to Red Oak Fire Rescue because of expanded services.
- In March 2006, the State of Texas approved Red Oak’s advanced Emergency Management Plan.
- In 2007, the Red Oak Firefighter Association was established becoming a charter member of the IAFF Local #4533 (International Association of Firefighters).
- In January 2008, ROFR opened Station 2 at 1201 Pierce Road.
- In 2008, ROFR became a part of TIFMAS (Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System) and established an All-Hazard statewide task force response team.
- In October 2009, a Regional Communication Center (covering Midlothian, Ovilla, and Red Oak) was established.
- We received a Brush Truck on a Texas Forest Service Grant in 2009.
- In 2011, we constructed the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
- In 2012, we created the first department Honor Guard.
- We received a new custom Spartan ERV Engine in 2013.
- We received a new custom Spartan ERV 103' Ladder Truck in 2014.
- 2015 CareFlite Ambulance service began
- 2015 Received Mobile Incident Command Unit MIC-181 shared with ROISD
- 2016 AMR began as our ambulance provider
- 2016 Received Best Practices Recognition
- 2017 Received new Pierce Enforcer Fire Engine Pumper
- 2017 First Battalion Chief's Position established
- 2019 Received TIFMAS Brush Engine from Texas Forest Service
- 2019 Chief Eric Thompson retired
- 2020 Received Rescue 181
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Ben Blanton, CEO, CFE
Fire ChiefPhone: (469) 218-7713
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Nathan Diaz
Fire MarshalPhone: (469) 218-7713
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Fire-Rescue
Physical Address
547 N. Methodist
Red Oak, TX 75154
Phone: (469) 218-7713Fax: (469) 218-7719