The first fire department in St. Peters, Missouri was founded in 1904 as the St. Peters Volunteer Fire Company. At that time, the population of St. Peters was approximately 200 people. In 1921, local businesses were asked to subscribe to the Fire Company for the sum of $1.00 per month. In 1941, the population of St. Peters was approximately 250. At that time, the department was incorporated as the St. Peters Community Volunteer Fire Department. Nothing much changed for the next 30 years, including the population. In 1971, the Department petitioned the St. Charles County Court to hold an election to allow the formation of a tax-supported fire protection district. The election was overwhelmingly approved. The population at that time was approximately 400-500.

 

In 1978, the first paid (part-time) employee was hired; an Assistant Fire Marshal. In 1979, the board of directors authorized the position of a paid full-time Fire Chief. In 1980, the first paid firefighters were hired. In the early 1980s, the population of St. Peters started growing by leaps and bounds, helping to make St. Charles County one of the fastest growing counties in both the state and the country. In 1989, six additional firefighters were hired, bringing the total number of career firefighters to 21. In 1991, the total number of career suppression people was 28 and the total number of full-time paid employees was 33. At that time the District had four stations and served a population of approximately 50,000 with approximately 52 square miles. The District continued to grow and by 1996 had 46 employees.

 

In 1996 a group from the St. Charles and St. Peters Fire Protection Districts held a series of meetings to determine whether a consolidation of the two fire protection districts would be feasible and, if so, would it be beneficial to the citizens served? It was determined that it was not only feasible but that the citizens of both districts would benefit more from the consolidated department than they were currently as residents of each separate district.

 

The St. Charles Fire Protection District was originally organized in 1947 as the St. Charles Township Volunteer Fire Department. It was organized through the efforts of the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber, through its Rural Relations Committee promoted and helped organize departments at Orchard Farm, Portage des Sioux, Cottleville and St. Charles. At one of the first meetings of the St. Charles Township Volunteer Fire Department, six individuals pledged $100.00 each and later the County Court subscribed $500.00. The newly elected officers were authorized to get bids for a fire truck. The first fire truck was a Chevrolet Chassis which cost $1,981.20. A fire truck was then built on the chassis for a total of $4,031. ( Note: In 1999, Central County Fire and Rescue purchased a 100 foot ladder truck. Cost: $619,000.) By 1996, the St. Charles Fire Protection District was still a mostly volunteer department with only a full-time paid Fire Chief and part-time paid firefighters. They depended on volunteers for the rest of their protection. Only two of their four stations were staffed and there was no coverage from midnight to 8:00 a.m., except for volunteers. The City of St. Charles was annexing many portions of the St. Charles Fire Protection District and they were projecting a budget deficit for the first time in their history.

 

For the St. Peters Fire Protection District, the consolidation would mean the economic advantage of sharing financial resources, personnel, equipment and purchasing power, while eliminating duplication of services. The two departments continued meeting for the next two years, doing all of the necessary research and planning. The consolidation issue was put to the voters of both districts in April of 1998 and was approved by the required simple majority. The name of the new fire protection district was to be Central County Fire and Rescue. Within approximately three months of the voters' approval, an additional 27 personnel were hired and six of the eight stations in the consolidated district were staffed with three suppression personnel, 24 hours a day. One of the remaining non-staffed stations was sold to the City of St. Charles and the eighth station, because of its proximity to the St. Charles City Fire Department, will not be staffed.

 

Central County Fire and Rescue is now the largest fire department in St. Charles County. The population of the area served by Central County Fire and Rescue is approximately 85,000 and the geographical area is approximately 82 square miles. The District touches both the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

 

In 1998, the department was named Missouri Fire Department of the Year. In 1999, because of the increase in the size of the department, two additional personnel were added to the Fire Prevention Bureau; an Administrative Assistant and a Plan Review/Inspector. There are currently 76 full time employees. The department continues to grow and constantly strives to be proactive and innovative.