South Toe Volunteer Fire & Rescue was founded in 1972, the first fire department on South Toe River. In 1975 voters approved tax-base support for the Department, and the first fire engine was purchased (a 1957 Chevrolet American La France, with a pumping capability of 750 gallons per minute). By 1976 the department had 18 volunteers, and the first station was built in Celo with bays for three vehicles. A two-story additional with a fourth bay was constructed by the department volunteers in 2000.
Township growth required expansion and a second station was built on land donated in Busick in 1984. A two-bay addition was constructed by the department volunteers in 2002, followed by a two-story addition in 2014, which includes a community meeting room and additional two-bays for apparatus. The location of the two stations are such that the majority of South Toe Township residents are within a five-mile radius of a station, assuring quick response and lower insurance premiums.
The Department is a State Certified Fire and Rescue Department, the first and only State Certified Fire and Rescue Department in Yancey County. This is a significant benefit, considering the mountainous terrain and the diversity of calls within the highest elevation fire district east of the Mississippi River. South Toe Volunteer Fire & Rescue is currently training members in Swift Water Rescue, Open Water Dive, Vehicle and Machinery Rescue, Search and Rescue Operations, as well as Basic and Advanced Life Support.
In 2009 the Department took part in a mandatory insurance inspection, and was rewarded for the years of hard work and planning by receiving an ISO Class 6 Rating, the lowest residential Fire Department rating available. Since 2009 South Toe has been working to continue to lower the insurance rate with in the District. The department has worked with Yancey County Fire Marshall on Fire inspections, Yancey County Sheriffs Office on Fire investigations , and Fire Safety and Education in the community and Schools. The efforts of the ISO working group resulted a re-inspection in 2019 as a Class 4 Fire Department Insurance Rating. South Toe Fire Department is the only Class 4 Agency within Yancey County and one of the only volunteer Fire Department in NC and throughout the Country to score / rate as a Class 4.
Township growth required expansion and a second station was built on land donated in Busick in 1984. A two-bay addition was constructed by the department volunteers in 2002, followed by a two-story addition in 2014, which includes a community meeting room and additional two-bays for apparatus. The location of the two stations are such that the majority of South Toe Township residents are within a five-mile radius of a station, assuring quick response and lower insurance premiums.
The Department is a State Certified Fire and Rescue Department, the first and only State Certified Fire and Rescue Department in Yancey County. This is a significant benefit, considering the mountainous terrain and the diversity of calls within the highest elevation fire district east of the Mississippi River. South Toe Volunteer Fire & Rescue is currently training members in Swift Water Rescue, Open Water Dive, Vehicle and Machinery Rescue, Search and Rescue Operations, as well as Basic and Advanced Life Support.
In 2009 the Department took part in a mandatory insurance inspection, and was rewarded for the years of hard work and planning by receiving an ISO Class 6 Rating, the lowest residential Fire Department rating available. Since 2009 South Toe has been working to continue to lower the insurance rate with in the District. The department has worked with Yancey County Fire Marshall on Fire inspections, Yancey County Sheriffs Office on Fire investigations , and Fire Safety and Education in the community and Schools. The efforts of the ISO working group resulted a re-inspection in 2019 as a Class 4 Fire Department Insurance Rating. South Toe Fire Department is the only Class 4 Agency within Yancey County and one of the only volunteer Fire Department in NC and throughout the Country to score / rate as a Class 4.
