In early 1971, local citizens expressed an interest in forming a volunteer fire department and subsequently met with the Hyde County Jaycees, formed a steering committee, and voted to establish the Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department. Officers were elected that very night, and the Department was charted as a Corporation with the NC Secretary of State the following July. There were thirteen charter members. Their first firehouse was a bay in the Sinclair Service Station. The first fire truck was purchased through Civil Defense in February 1972. The truck was equipped and put into service in October 1972. The ladders had to be pulled forward on the fire truck in order to made the truck fit in the bay. The only entry to the truck was through the driver's door.
A building lot across from the Hyde County Courthouse on which to erect the Fire Department was purchased from a local family in August 1971. Consruction of the building was begun in the fall of 1972 and was completed as time and funds permitted. Constructed of concrete brick, it housed four vehicles, two restrooms and a kitchen area.
Thanks to the generosity of the Swan Quarter community, and with the assistance of a grant and loan from the United States Department of Agriculture - Rural Development in 2002, the facility was expanded, doubling its size.
In September 2003, during the rennovations, the village of Swan Quarter was hard-hit by Hurricane Isabel and the fire department was flooded. Volunteers swept out the water, hosed the building down, and for the next several months, the Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department served as the axis of the community as it struggled to recover. Finally, in November 2004, the new addition was dedicated and continues to serve as a focal point for the community.
Today, the Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department provides fire fighting services, rescue work, and search and rescue (both on and off-shore). Additionally, they perform fire prevention services and provide safety training to the community.
The Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department depends on the generous donations from the community, along with fund-raisers and ocassional catering of meals to help with expenses. All firefighters are volunteers and give willingly of their time and effort for the benefit of their community.
