Background

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The Cumberland County Fire Chiefs’ Association was formed in July  1960’s and consisted mainly of county fire departments. As time passed, the towns of Hope Mills and Spring Lake, as well as other newly chartered county departments joined the Association. The City of Fayetteville Fire Department became members in 1989 and Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base Fire Department followed in 1993. The Association’s intent is mutual assistance to one another during times of emergency, serves as an interchange of ideas, establishes county-wide operational guidelines and procedures, and finds ways and means for enhancing life and property preservation within our communities and fire districts.  
 
The Association purchased three (3) fully equipped 500-gallon foam trailers and strategically placed these critical assets across Cumberland County. The foam trailers were updated in 2012 with AFFF/ARF 1-3 percent foam to enhance our response to alcohol based flammable liquid fires and potential aircraft responses from the civilian and military airports within the county. Currently the foam trailers are positioned at the Fayetteville Fire Department Logistics Station on Hope Mills Road, Stedman Fire Department Station 23, and Stoney Point Fire Department Station 19. The association is now working on replacing foam containing PFAS with new environmentally green foam. A Department of Homeland Security grant in 2002 provided the association with three (3) fully equipped DECON support trailers stationed at Fayetteville Fire Department Station 17, Spring Lake Fire Department Station 22, and Stedman Fire Department Station 23. 
 
In 2007 the Association received a $1,000,000.00 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) to purchase and install a new 800 MHz radio communications system for the county’s fire service agencies. The system is 100% compatible with the existing City of Fayetteville’s 800 MHz system. Through one 800 MHz system, interoperability between the Fayetteville Fire Department and the Cumberland County Fire Service as well as regional and statewide interoperability between public service agencies was realized. The system also enhanced our local ability to coordinate dispatch, response, and rescue efforts. The system is consistent with the APCO Project 25 Standard for digital radio systems and is part of the North Carolina Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders (VIPER) which is managed by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. When fully implemented, interoperable communications will benefit all public safety agencies when dealing with everything from daily emergency calls to large scale disasters. An OSSI county-wide unified Computer Automated Dispatch (CAD) system was implemented in 2012 enhancing our unified fire, rescue, EMS, and law enforcement agencies response capabilities in our quest to better serve our citizens.  In late 2020 the association started the process of addressing the multi-million dollar nationwide 800 MHz technology Federal Communications Commission (FCC) directed radio communications upgrade scheduled for implementation January 1, 2026, when our current radios become obsolete and useless. Association members voted to address this early and before nationwide demands will further drive-up prices, through multi-phase purchases utilizing the Cumberland County Fire Protection Service District Grant Funding Source. The project was completed in early 2023, with all base stations, mobile and portable radios upgraded with new TDMA compliant Motorola Radios. 
 
In 2011, the Association again was awarded $73,000.00 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Fire Prevention and Education Grant and purchased a Mobile Fire Safety House. This state-of-the-art Fire Safety House is for county-wide use by all Association members and is stored at the Stoney Point Fire Department Station 19 who manages and maintains this asset for the Association.  
 
The Association receives funding through the County-Wide Special Fire District Tax System which provides revenue from the county’s unincorporated areas. These funds are utilized to enhance county-wide fire operations, supplement low wealth fire districts, and provide funding incentives for all VFD’s as well as fire prevention and education programs. From this revenue source, the Association provides each member department with the Emergency Reporting (ER) Records Management System, I AM Responding (IAR) telephone notification system, reimburses for basic Spectrum Internet Service, maintenance for two (2) of three (3) county-wide responding Mobile Air Units, as well as other county-wide program support activities. The Association also supports the annual Firefighters, EMS and Rescue Squad Workers Memorial Service conducted each year in October, and maintains the Memorial Site co-located on the grounds of the new Fayetteville Technical Community College Regional Fire and Rescue Training Center on Tom Starling Road. 

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In 2019 the Association added a Mobile Command and Communication Center Bus to its list of assets for county-wide use by all CCFCA partner agencies.  Also, in 2019 the association was gifted a 1985 American LaFrance Engine Company from the Hope Mills Fire Department and converted the Engine Company into a Caisson Unit, to provide last rides to members of the Cumberland County Fire Service on request.

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In 2020 the Association built a large five (5) Bay apparatus storage building to house and maintain its assets.  The building is co-located with the Stoney Point Fire Station 19 at 2190 Lake Upchurch Drive, Parkton, North Carolina. 

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In 2021 the association received a $1,000,000.00 State Capital Infrastructure Grant (SCIF). The funds are spread out over a four (4) year period and utilized to enhance all volunteer fire departments and association partner agencies. 
 
The Association meetings are held at 7 PM on the fourth Monday of each month. The meeting locations are rotated between member fire departments. During the month of December, the meeting is hosted by the Sheriff’s Office.