Cedar Park Fire Department celebrates 'golden' 50th anniversary

CEDAR PARK, Texas - The Cedar Park Fire Department is celebrating its 50th anniversary today, May 5, 2022.

The incorporation of the Cedar Park Fire Department actually pre-dates the incorporation of the City of Cedar Park, according to the Cedar Park Fire Department website. 

"On May 5, 1972, a small but determined group of volunteers started the department with a used Ward La France Air Force crash truck, some donated bunker gear, and a lot of grit!" according to the website. 

At the time, Cedar Park’s population was reportedly around 700 and there was only one traffic signal in town: a flashing yellow light where what is now Whitestone Boulevard (RM 1431) from the west ended at what is now Bell Boulevard (US 183).  There also was no emergency dispatch system – just a siren on top of a store, according to the fire department.

The department has since grown to be an internationally-accredited and ISO 1-rated career department with 88 sworn firefighters. There are five fully-staffed stations across Cedar Park that are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.  

The Cedar Park City Council commemorated the department’s golden anniversary at its city council meeting last Thursday, April 28.

"We’ve been named one of the safest cities to live in, and I agree with that, one hundred percent," said Assistant Chief Adam Story. "We have, I think, not only one of the best fire departments in the country; we have a fantastic Police Department and just City services as a whole. That’s why I chose to move my family here and live here, is because I love the City. I love the way it’s run and protected."

Click here to see the City of Cedar Park’s special webpage featuring a slideshow of historical photos, a timeline of important events, and a 50th Anniversary video.