View source for Whitesboro Fire Department

{{Merge to|Whitesboro, Texas|discuss=Talk:Whitesboro Fire Department#Merge proposal|date=October 2026}}
{{Infobox fire department
| name              = Whitesboro Fire Department
| logo              = Whitesboro Fire Department logo.jpg
| logo_caption      = Logo
| address           = 206 W Main St, Whitesboro, TX 76273
| employees         = 12
| chief             = Jeff Patterson
| chief2_description = Assistant Chief
| chief2_name       = Steven Wilcox
| chief3_description = Fire Marshal
| chief3_name       = Kevin Walton
| stations          = 1
| engines           = 3
| trucks            = 5
| ambulances        = 4
| website           = {{URL|https://whitesborofirerescue.com/}}
}}

The '''Whitesboro Fire Department''' is an American fire and [[Emergency medical services in the United States|emergency medical services]] agency serving [[Whitesboro, Texas|Whitesboro]] and western [[Grayson County, Texas|Grayson County]], [[Texas]]. The department was established in 1915 as a volunteer organization and has since developed into a combination fire and EMS department providing fire suppression, rescue, and [[Emergency medical services|emergency medical services.]] <ref name="whitesboro">{{Cite web |title=Fire {{!}} Whitesboro, TX |url=https://whitesboro.org/444/Fire |access-date=2026-09-21 |website=whitesboro.org}}</ref>

== History ==
The Whitesboro Fire Department was founded in 1915. The department initially consisted of a small number of volunteers and had limited equipment. During its early history, the fire and rescue organizations operated separately with different groups of volunteers before eventually being combined into the modern department.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whitesboro Magazine 2022-2023 |url=https://user-35215390377.cld.bz/Whitesboro-Magazine-2022-2023/17/ |access-date=2026-09-21 |website=user-35215390377.cld.bz}}</ref>

One of the department's earliest documented major fires occurred in November 1915, when two two-story brick commercial buildings in downtown Whitesboro were destroyed by fire. The buildings housed businesses including the North Texas Telephone Company, the Majestic Theater, an attorney's office, and a restaurant. The fire also temporarily disrupted telephone service in the community.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fire At Whitesboro {{!}} Grayson County, TXGenWeb |url=https://usgenwebsites.org/TXGrayson/ANewLand/Disasters/ManMadeDisasters/Fire_Whitesboro/1915_WhitesboroFire.html |access-date=2026-09-21 |website=usgenwebsites.org}}</ref>

For much of its history, the department relied heavily on volunteers. Generations of Whitesboro-area residents have served as firefighters, with some families having multiple generations participate in the department.<ref name="whitesboronewsrecord">{{Cite web |date=2025-09-26 |title=Safety Matters |url=https://www.whitesboronewsrecord.com/article/1721,safety-matters |access-date=2026-09-21 |website=Whitesboro News-Record |language=en}}</ref>

In April 2019, the City of Whitesboro hired Steve Pinkston as the department's first full-time fire chief and fire marshal. The hiring marked a transition toward increased professional staffing while maintaining the department's volunteer component.<ref name="whitesboronewsrecord" />

== Emergency medical services ==
In 2022, the City of Whitesboro expanded the department's role to include [[Emergency medical services|municipal emergency medical services]]. The department's EMS division hired its first full-time shift-based employees in September 2022, and Whitesboro Fire Department ambulances began responding to calls on October 1, 2022.<ref name="cld">{{Cite web |title=Whitesboro Magazine 2022-2023 |url=https://user-35215390377.cld.bz/Whitesboro-Magazine-2022-2023 |access-date=2026-09-21 |website=user-35215390377.cld.bz}}</ref>

The department assumed full responsibility for EMS operations in western [[Grayson County, Texas|Grayson County]] and operates two Mobile Intensive Care Unit ambulances around the clock. The EMS division is staffed by full-time emergency medical technicians and paramedics and provides advanced prehospital medical care throughout its service area.<ref name="whitesboro" />

The EMS service area extends beyond the department's 54.4-square-mile fire district, serving approximately 280 square miles of western Grayson County.<ref name="cld" />

== Organization ==
The Whitesboro Fire Department operates as a combination department consisting of career and volunteer personnel. Its operations are divided into fire and EMS divisions. The EMS division operates two MICU ambulances 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, staffed by full-time EMTs and paramedics. The fire division has historically relied primarily on volunteers, with volunteers responding during the day as available and working a rotating shift system at night.<ref name="whitesboro-2">{{Cite web |title=Operations {{!}} Whitesboro, TX |url=https://whitesboro.org/448/Operations |access-date=2026-09-21 |website=whitesboro.org}}</ref>

In January 2026, the department began providing continuous 24-hour fire protection through full-time staffing supplemented by volunteer firefighters. The change provided staffed fire protection 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The department also transitioned to a 48-hours-on, 96-hours-off schedule for its full-time firefighters.<ref name="whitesboronewsrecord-2">{{Cite web |date=2026-01-16 |title=WFD now to provide constant fire protection coverage |url=https://www.whitesboronewsrecord.com/article/1975,wfd-now-to-provide-constant-fire-protection-coverage |access-date=2026-09-21 |website=Whitesboro News-Record |language=en}}</ref>

== Services ==
The department provides fire suppression, [[rescue]], [[emergency medical services]], and other [[Emergency service|emergency response]] services. Its training programs include fire suppression, rescue operations, emergency medical care, leadership, and public service. The department also conducts fire prevention programs, public education, youth outreach, [[Cardiopulmonary resuscitation|CPR training]], and emergency preparedness education.<ref name="whitesboro" />

The department responds to emergencies throughout Whitesboro and its fire district and participates in mutual-aid responses with surrounding fire departments. In April 2025, Whitesboro firefighters responded to a large apartment fire at the Oakview Apartment Complex alongside firefighters from nine other departments. Nearly 50 firefighters participated in the response.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-18 |title=Apartment fire challenges local first responders |url=https://www.whitesboronewsrecord.com/article/1294,apartment-fire-challenges-local-first-responders |access-date=2026-09-21 |website=Whitesboro News-Record |language=en}}</ref>

== Leadership ==
Steve Pinkston became the department's first full-time fire chief in 2019. He served as fire chief for several years and oversaw the department's transition toward increased staffing and the development of municipal EMS services.<ref name="whitesboro-2" />

Jeff Patterson was appointed Director of Public Safety in March 2025, overseeing fire, EMS, dispatch, and emergency management operations for the city.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-20 |title=WFD&#039;s Patterson named Director of Public Safety |url=https://www.whitesboronewsrecord.com/article/1239,wfd-s-patterson-named-director-of-public-safety |access-date=2026-09-21 |website=Whitesboro News-Record |language=en}}</ref>

Patterson was appointed Fire Chief of the Whitesboro Fire Department effective May 1, 2026, succeeding Pinkston, who retired as fire chief. Patterson had previously served with the department as a volunteer and assistant fire chief and had more than two decades of professional fire and emergency-services experience.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-05-08 |title=Patterson named Fire Chief of Whitesboro Fire Department |url=https://www.whitesboronewsrecord.com/article/2276,patterson-named-fire-chief-of-whitesboro-fire-department |access-date=2026-09-21 |website=Whitesboro News-Record |language=en}}</ref>

== Volunteer service ==
Volunteer firefighters have remained an important part of the Whitesboro Fire Department throughout its history. The department's volunteer tradition dates to its founding in 1915, and generations of local residents have served with the department.<ref name="whitesboronewsrecord" />

Although the department has expanded its full-time staffing, volunteers continue to supplement career personnel and remain an important component of the department's fire operations.<ref name="whitesboronewsrecord-2" />

== Facilities ==
The Whitesboro Fire Department is headquartered at 206 West Main Street in Whitesboro. The facility serves as the department's primary fire and emergency-services station.<ref name="whitesboro" />

== See also ==

* [[Whitesboro, Texas]]
* [[Grayson County, Texas]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fire departments in Texas]]
[[Category:Emergency medical services in the United States]]
[[Category:Grayson County, Texas]]