History

                Before the 1950’s Cumberland County depended on the City of Fayetteville and Hope Mills for fire protection. Then one day around September 19, 1955 there was a fire in a two story residence on Southern Ave. Fayetteville Firefighters were unable to answer the call and the fire gutted the second story of the Massey Hill residence. The Fayetteville Fire Dept. was prevented by a City Council ruling to keep them from going to calls outside the city limits. After another incident, the county residents said “Hey, we need to organize a Fire Department.

                In October of 1955 Pearces Mills’ citizens met to organize a volunteer fire department. The Rev E.D Young explained that a fire department would be set up and he explained ways of securing funds for the establishment. Funding for a 10-15 men unit would call for a voluntary donation of $7 by each home owner. 

Cumberland Road Fire Dept. was started on a hope and a prayer with very little money. Mr. Clifton Canipe, a Faymount resident and businessman, was the First Fire Chief of Cumberland Road Fire Department.  The Cumberland Road Fire Department was located at Chief Canipe’s  home from 1955 until many years later. Chief Canipe contacted a friend at Lafayette Ford Dealership and asked for help. Lafayette Ford assisted by loaning him (the fire department) a new Ford 1 ½ ton truck. Chief Canipe bought a storage tank off the back of an old oil delivery truck and mounted the tank on the truck, which became the first Fire Truck Cumberland Road Fire Department had. The Lafayette Ford agreement included a provision that once the Fire Department could purchase their own truck, the Ford would have to be returned. It was returned nearly two years later.

Next a siren was needed to alert the firefighters of a call. Chief Canipe contacted a lineman with PWC, who then set a pole and mounted the siren at Chief Canipe’s house. Mrs.Canipe answered the telephone and worked the siren when the calls came in. Mrs. Canipe had a “code” one long blast for a house fire… or three short blasts for a woods fire.  After sounding the siren, Mrs. Canipe would call four Firemen on the telephone to alert them while Mrs. Koonce and Mrs. Thorton called four a piece also.