Roanoke Island, located on the Outer Banks
of North Carolina, is known for its famous "firsts" in America, including being the
home of the first settlement in the New
World by Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony
as well as the being the birthplace of
Virginia Dare, the first child born of English
parents in America before the colony's
mysterious disappearance.
Staying in the tradition of "firsts", the
Manteo Fire Department was the first on
the Outer Banks, dating back to its start in
1928. According to Vernon Davis, a charter
member of the department, they were little
more than a bucket brigade, as they pulled
an old chemical tanker around town by hand,
to fight fires.
From it's beginnings at a small location
on the Manteo Waterfront, the Manteo
Fire Department moved to its long-time
location in downtown Manteo in 1930. In
1974, the Manteo Fire Department and the Wanchese
Fire Department, joined together to form a unified
department, known as the Roanoke
Island Volunteer Fire Department.
Today's firefighters work out of two stations on Roanoke Island ...
the North Station, located
on Hwy. 64/264 in Manteo and the South
Station, the department's
newest station, built in 2010, which is located in the village of
Wanchese. Fire calls on Roanoke
island are answered by both stations.
Presented by The Town of Manteo - 2016
Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department
917 N. Hwy 64/264, PO Box 1033 Manteo, North Carolina 27954
Office: 252-473-2300 - Fax: 252-473-3410
Email: Contact@RIVFD.com
