The Landis Fire Department is comprised of paid staff (full-time and part-time) and volunteer members. The fire department operates out of two stations which house 3 engine companies, 1 ladder company, a brush truck, a squad company, a hazardous materials unit, a mobile light tower, an antique fire engine, and staff vehicles. The department serves approximately 4,900 citizens, expanding over 5 square miles of territory, including 45 miles of roadway. The Landis Fire Department responds to all fire service calls within the municipality and fire district, to include the East Landis Fire District.
The Landis Fire Department was recently awarded an improved Insurance Service Office (ISO) Rating of a Class 2 for both its municipal and rural service districts.
The Landis Fire Department is comprised of skilled men and women that provide fire suppression, basic emergency medical services, technical rescue, and many other skilled services. Over the years, our calls for service have seen a drastic increase as the town continues to expand and grow. On average, the department responds to over 900 calls a year.
The Landis Fire Department offers many fire prevention programs which include fire extinguisher training, CPR classes, Basic First Aid classes, School Fire Safety programs, smoke detector installation and battery changes, Child Passenger Safety Seat inspections, fire station tours and apparatus demonstrations. If you are interested in attending any of these classes, or would like to schedule a tour or demonstration, please feel contact the fire department at 704-857-1269 or Landis Town Hall at 704-857-2411.
We welcome our citizens to come by and meet our staff, ask questions, and take a tour of our stations and apparatus.
Station 44 (Town Hall) Landis Station # 2
312 S. Main St
Landis, NC 28088
Station 58 (Police Department) Landis Station # 1
136 N. Central Ave
Landis, NC 28088
Phone: (704) 855-1269
Fax: (704) 855-3932
Email:fireinbox@townoflandis.com
Emergency Number: 9-1-1
Non-Emergency Dispatch Number:
(704) 216-8500
Mailing Address:
Landis Fire Department
P.O. Box 8165
Landis, NC 28088
The Landis Fire Department is committed to providing professional and transparent fire services to the community. Therefore, we have published our department’s Policy & Procedure Manual online for public review and inspection.
Do you own a commercial business? Do you have an elderly family member that lives alone? Knox Box Secure Systems gives the availability for fire departments to make easy access to your business or home without damaging your property.
Save yourself time and money by not having to replace doors or windows that firefighters may have to force open to get to a loved one, to silence a fire alarm, or to stop a leaking sprinkler head.
Knox Box Secure Systems allows fire departments to retain a key to access your Knox Box at your home or business to gain access to one or more keys that open your doors on the property.
Contact our Knox Box Secure System program coordinator, Captain Charles Sheeks, for more information.
The burning of trash is always prohibited.
In accordance with 15A NCAC 02D .1903 – OPEN BURING WITHOUT AN AIR QUALITY PERMIT
Citizens should note that the burning of leaves, grass, and other such materials is also prohibited with the Town of Landis because the Town of Landis provides debris removal of limbs and leaves, provided they are placed at curbside during designated times of the year.
Citizens who live outside the Town of Landis and do not have debris removal services, should first acquire a burn permit from the North Carolina Forestry Service prior to any planned burning.
Open Burning – NC Department of Environmental Quality
15A NCAC 02D .1903 – OPEN BURNING WITHOUT AN AIR QUALITY PERMIT
Burning Questions FAQ – NC Department of Environmental Quality
It was just after World War II when the town founders realized there was a need for better protection against the threat of fire. Prior to 1947, the Town of Landis had a contract with the Town of China Grove to provide fire service. The service that China Grove provided was all volunteer and had a long delay when responding to Landis.
Throughout the early years, the Linn Mill and Corriher Mill provided some fire protection for the town using hand-pulled hose reels and a small hand-pulled chemical wagon. These two pieces of equipment were mainly used as fire protection within the mills but were used in town on occasion.
In early 1947, L.A. Corriher, Mayor of Landis at the time, decided a new piece of firefighting equipment should be purchased, a new fire station should be built, and volunteers should be organized to form the new Landis Fire Department.
It is said that Mayor Corriher always purchased the best, so he met with a representative from American LaFrance Company to discuss ordering a new fire engine. Mr. Corriher told the American LaFrance representative that he “didn’t care about what kind of truck we get or how much it cost, as long as it was better than China Grove’s fire truck.” The site for the new fire station located on North Main Street right beside City Hall. A metal building with a sliding front door was built to house the town’s first fire engine and firefighters. The search was on to find the first person to serve as Fire Chief. It did not take long, as Harry Brown was picked for that position. Mr. Brown had some firefighting experience and was more than willing to help serve his community. Some of the first drivers of the fire department were Rufus Honeycutt, Will Beaver, Cleat Daugherty, and Robert Alexander.
Since the Linn/Wright Funeral Home was the only business in town where someone had access to a telephone 24-hours a day, it was decided that the funeral home would take the calls for the fire department. After the call was received the fire siren would be set off by someone at the funeral home, and when the firefighters arrived at the fire station, they would have to call the funeral home on the telephone to find out where the fire was located. The Linn Mill and the Corriher Mill would blow a horn “66” when the fire alarm sounded to let the firemen in the mills know to go to the fire station.
In the early days, much credit was given to the Salisbury Fire Department for their assistance with training and organization. Some of the ones that helped from Salisbury were Chief Charles Burkett, Marvin Yost, Bernard Penly, Chief Fred Shipton, and John (Poss) Poole.
The first structure fire call for the new Landis Fire Department was to the old Hinson house on East Ryder Avenue. It was a large two story, wood frame structure. A fire in the upstairs had started around the chimney. The structure was saved. However, all the calls for the fire department were not confined to the town. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, the fire department would answer calls West and East to the county line because at that time, Landis and China Grove had the only fire departments around.
The firefighters also had a need for a place where they could meet and hold social gatherings. So, around 1950, land was acquired near the intersection of South Beaver Street and East Mills Drive. Mr. Lotin Corriher, Mayor at the time, told the firefighters to go and build it, do all the work they could, and let him know what was left on the bill. Alton Patton was drafted into the fire department so he could do the carpentry work for free (if he were a fireman, they would not have to pay him!). The firefighters got together to cut all the wood for the Fire Hut, and it was dried and stored behind Cleat Daugherty’s house until it was ready for building. After the Fire Hut was finished, a balance of $2500.00 remained. The bill was split three ways and paid by the Town of Landis, the old Linn Mill, and the old Corriher Mill.
During the building of the Fire Hut, one of the greatest fires in Landis’ history occurred. The old Roller Mill located on North Main Street suffered a devastating fire. Robert Alexander, Pat Deadmon, and Harry Brown were all on the Wright farm off Hwy 152 cutting wood for the Fire Hut when the alarm sounded. When the men heard the fire siren, they headed back to town and noticed a large column of black smoke coming from the downtown area. As Chief Brown was driving back to the fire, Pat Deadmon noted that “this was the worst ride in my life”. Pat did not think they would ever get back to town. At one time the firemen had the fire under control, and then something happened, an explosion! That was all it took, and the old Roller Mill was soon lost to history. At the height of the fire, China Grove and Kannapolis were called to assist the Landis Fire Department. At one time during the fire, Mr. Fesperman, a next-door neighbor asked Chief Brown if he should start moving his belongings out. Chief Brown exclaimed, “No! Don’t worry; we’ll save your house.” And they did, as the house is still standing.
Later, in the mid 1950’s several firefighters were issued fire phones in their homes. Dorsia Atkinson and Pat Deadmon both had these phones in their house and when a fire call came in one or the other would turn on the alarm. When the water plant opened and was manned 24-hours a day, the fire calls were received there. Then in the mid 1970’s all calls went to the Central Fire Station in Salisbury and then the calls were transmitted over the radio.
Also, in the 1950’s and 1960’s, the firemen were all real close to each other, one big family. They would have family night out down at the Fire Hut, which had one of the town’s first color televisions, a pool table, and a Ping-Pong table for enjoyment. They all enjoyed the social activities together. In the 1960’s, the firemen started the Landis Little League baseball program, which is still in operation today, but the Recreation department now handles it.
Along with the Roller Mill fire, there were several other memorable fires in which Landis firefighters were involved. One of these calls was the Cannon Jr. High School fire. Reed Linn states “…it was a tremendous fire!” “And you could see it from downtown Landis”. Another call the firefighters remember well is the old Beaver Home fire. The call went out at about 1:00 a.m. There was almost four inches of snow on the ground and the fire hydrants were all frozen. The only thing the firefighters could do was park the fire truck next to the hydrant and let the warm exhaust heat the hydrant and thaw the water so that the fire could be put out.
The firefighters of Landis Fire Department have also had some close calls and scary moments. Pat Deadmon remembers a time on Everhardt Street when a backdraft occurred, but all the firemen escaped without injury. Both Cleat Daugherty and Pat Deadmon remember the explosion that knocked the back wall out of the Corriher-Lipe Junior High School. A valve was closed on the boiler during a test and too much pressure built up which caused the boiler to explode injuring one worker and killing the other. And several firemen remember responding to a call on Partee Street. When they arrived on Partee Street, they found themselves being shot at by a man who was trying to keep the firemen from putting out the fire. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.
In the 1980’s Landis Fire Department went through some very significant changes. Firefighters were issued pagers so they could hear the call being dispatched and they would not have to rely on the fire siren alone as their only means of knowing if they had a call or not. Also, the fire departments First Responder program was started (only the third in the county at that time). The fire department has also seen the updating of apparatus and equipment to include the addition of rescue and extrication tools. The firefighters have also had more responsibility put on them including hose tests, pump tests, hydrant maintenance, ISO, and many others.
What started out as a metal building and one fire truck in 1947, has evolved into a fire department consisting of two Fire Stations, three Engine Companies, one Ladder Company, a Brush truck, a Special Operations Squad Company, and dozens of dedicated firefighters who spend countless hours studying and training to ensure the safety and protection of the citizens and community of Landis.
The Landis Fire Department is a combination department comprised of both paid and volunteer members. The department is continually looking for new and dedicated people to join our team. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a firefighter, please complete the Town of Landis application and submit it to Town Hall or any member of the fire department.
The Landis Fire Department provides ride-along opportunities to approved individuals. Citizens desiring to participate in the ride-along program must apply for and obtain permission from the Town of Landis Fire Department. The Fire Chief, or his or her designee, will consider the reason the applicant wishes to participate, along with the frequency, duration, and hours requested.
To participate in the Fire Department Ride-Along Program, the applicant shall meet the following criteria, or fall within an exception outlined below:
Meeting Agendas & Minutes
Accident Reports
Forms and Documents
Town Budget
Bids and RFPs
Email: contactus@townoflandisnc.gov
Phone: 704.857.2411
Fax: 704.855.3350
Hours: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
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