History of the White Cross Fire Department

The White Cross Fire Department board of trustees was appointed in 1985. The 5-person board consisted of W. Braxton Bowden, Tommy J. Regan, E. Carson Lloyd, Albert Williams, and John O. Cecil. The board went through out the community to recruit members to start the White Cross Fire Department. From 1985 to 1987 while equipment was order and the station was being built the men and women of the White Cross Fire Department trained to be ready when the first alarm came. Prior to this, the area known as the White Cross Fire District was cover by surrounding fire departments. Primarily Eli Whitney in Alamance County, with help from Orange Grove, North Chatham, and Carrboro Fire Departments.

Finally in 1987 the White Cross Fire Department was ready for operation. The First Board of Directors where elected. They were Wayne Wiles, JE Tripp, Braxton Bowden, Charles Harris, Carson Lloyd, Joe Smith, Tommy J. Ragan, and Albert S Williams.

On Friday November 13th 1987 the White Cross Fire Department officially went in to service providing fire protection to citizens of southern Orange County. In 1991 the White Cross Fire Department began providing first responder services to the district. The first responder program is design to quickly provide basic life-supporting measures when a person is in a medical or trauma related incident.

Today White Cross Fire Department is made up of approximately 40 volunteers and one career firefighter. The members of the department dedicate upward of 3,000 man-hours a year.