Fire Station 1

Waco Fire Station 1

Station 1 is distinguished as the first station of the Waco Fire Department. Following a significant fire downtown in March 1873, a group of residents formed Rescue Hook and Ladder No. 1. Shortly thereafter, Engine Co. No. 1 was established. Initially, the station was located at 310 Franklin Avenue. These two companies provided fire protection for the growing town until a new company emerged 13 years later.

In 1888, discussions began about constructing a new station due to concerns regarding the condition of the Franklin Avenue station. By August of that year, the city council approved plans for the new station, which opened in May 1892 in the 300 block of Washington Avenue. Station 1, known as the Central Fire Station for many years, operated there until damage from a tornado in 1953 required the crews to relocate.

A decision was made to build a new station at the intersection of 1st and Bridge, and in September 1955, the contract for its construction was awarded. This new station opened in April 1956.

Sixteen years later, the Waco City Council approved plans for a new Station 1 at Webster and 1st Street (now University Parks), where a new six-story training tower had already been constructed. This station opened in 1973 and served parts of downtown, East Waco, and South Waco for the next 37 years.

In May 2007, Waco voters approved a bond package that included funding to relocate Station 1 from 504 S. University Parks to Peach Street, between Elm and Taylor. This relocation was necessary to continue serving parts of downtown, as well as East Waco and the Timbercrest neighborhood, following the relocation of Station 3 to the TSTC campus. The new, larger Station 1 opened in 2010 and is now home to Engine 1, Truck 1, Battalion Chief 1, the confined space rescue team, and the swift water rescue team.

Location

100 Peach Street, Waco, TX 76704  View Map

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