One hundred gallons of coffee was consumed while the men designed and assembled the piece of equipment. The men not only purchased a 100-gallon tank from an oil company and attached it, but when they were finished, they had a bright red duplication of a commercial firefighting tanker, complete with hose, attachments, and compartments for extra equipment. No resemblance to the original steel gray vehicle was remaining. The department gets its name and all the water it uses from Puppy Creek

The Fire Station

A fire station was a must. Those two precious pieces of rolling equipment couldn't just sit under a tree. At an organizational meeting, Mrs. Marshall Newton offered a piece of land. The site was perfectly situated at a crossroads at the center of the three-mile radius to be serviced.

One question solved seemed only to raise another. Where would the money come from for cinder blocks, roofing, and labor? One by one, the members stood up and made offers until 18 men and women had given enough materials to raise the building. Those same men, plus some others in the community, pitched in with carpentry work. The block-laying was done by a professional. More fund-raising was done in order for Puppy Creek to get a cement floor, purchase air packs, refrigerator, sink, electric coffee maker, and a desk & chairs for the assembly area of the station.

Original Article Courtesy:
Lucy Gray Peebles
The Fayetteville Observer
August 9, 1967

1967 - Present

Over the ensuing years, the Puppy Creek Fire Department has expanded with personnel and a new firehouse located less than 1/4 of a mile from the original station. Thanks to a long-standing tax referendum, a small portion of property taxes paid by the citizens of Hoke County has been used to modernize the equipment by purchasing state-of-the-art engines, an emergency response truck, a rehab truck, and brush/grass fire truck.

From its humble beginnings of used and homemade equipment to being the standard-bearer in firefighting, Puppy Creek has truly transformed into one of the premier volunteer fire departments in North Carolina.