About

Catawba Volunteer Fire Department ,Inc. is a combination fire department, protecting 32 square miles of district in western North Carolina, with over 4,400 residents calling it home. Our 1 full-time fire chief, 5 part-time firefighters, and around 27 volunteer firefighters provide fire protection, hazmat technician, fire prevention, and basic life support services.

Our department responded to over 500 calls in 2018. The fire department has seen a 5 to 15 percent call volume increase yearly.

The primarily residential district is located just north of Charlotte, making our roadways well-traveled by commuters every day. The miles of highway we cover carries over 35,000 vehicles daily, with nearly half of them being large commercial trucks. We also cover portions of Norfolk Southern rail lines and 6 miles of Interstate 40 in our first due response area and 12 miles in our mutual-aid response area.

The fire department also covers over 27 miles of shoreline on the largest man-made body of water in the state, Lake Norman. This is one of the most popular recreational spots in the state, increasing our seasonal population dramatically. Not only do we see yearly drownings, boat fires, and other water-related emergencies, we are also confronted by a huge fire load risk, with three boat marinas in our district. Collectively, they provide over 152 wet slips on the water and 80 dry slips for boat storage on the grounds. Most of these boats can hold over one hundred gallons of fuel. At any given time, there are over 100,000 gallons of fuel sitting in boats stored in the dry and wet storage areas of these buildings, not including boats in privately owned wet slips covering the over 27 miles of shoreline.

The fire department’s board of directors and fire departments management staff continues to watch the growth and elevating emergency calls to ensure that the fire department stays proactive and not reactive.

Please stop by and see the fire department and meet the staff that is here to protect you!