HISTORY
HISTORY
The great State of San Andreas comprises two independent counties and other smaller towns, villages, and cities. The two counties of San Andreas are the Counties of Los Santos and Blaine County.
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Los Santos County Fire Department, founded in 1888
Los Santos County, founded in 1889, is home to the cities of Los Santos, Davis, Del Perro, and Rockford Hills, collectively known as the City of Los Santos after a merger in 1889. The City has had constant paid fire protection since the beginning of the 19th century. This protection was provided by the three original fire companies inside of Los Santos County: The Rockford Fire Company, Murrieta Pumper Company (now Murrietta Engine & Ladder Company), and Davis Engine Company. In 1888, these three Los Santos County Fire Department companies reorganized and formed the Los Santos Fire Department. The years following the incorporation of the Los Santos Fire Department continued to grow: The International Fire Brigade, created when the Los Santos International Airport opened, joined the department in 1930. The Los Santos Fire Department continued to expand even further, founding two new ambulance companies in the 1940s, Vespucci Ambulance Corps and Vespucci Beach Patrol.
Blaine County, founded in 1823, is home to the towns of Grapeseed, Sandy Shores, Harmony, Paleto Bay, and North Chumash. Blaine County was previously protected by volunteer fire companies. The original fire protection service was provided by the Sandy Shores Fire Company, established in the late 1700s. This company lived on until 1886, when it merged into the Blaine County Fire Department. During the 1800s, two new fire companies came into fruition. In 1880, following the opening of the San Andreas State Prison (now Bolingbroke Penitentiary), the Bolingbrook Fire Brigade was formed to provide fire protection for the prison. Six years later, the County tasked the brigade with providing protection for the town of Harmony, thus forming Harmony Engine Company. The northern region of the county received its fire protection from the Procopio Volunteer Fire Company up until 1886, when the County asked them to provide fire protection for the towns of Paleto Bay and Grapeseed, thereby becoming the Procopio Pumper Company. With Blaine County deputizing the three fire companies, the Blaine County Fire Department was officially formed. Blaine County Fire Department would continue to operate with three stations until 1943, which saw the transition of Fort Zancudo from an Army base into an air base, that now required fire protection. Blaine County Fire Department established the Zancudo Crash and Rescue Company inside Fort Zancudo, at the request of the U.S. Government. During this year, the Sandy Shores Fire Company would also become a career company when all the volunteers were hired by the department, due to WWII manpower shortages.
Blaine County Fire Department, founded in 1886
San Andreas Fire Rescue, founded in 1946
The end of WWII saw many young men return to the United States in need of jobs. Both the Los Santos and Blaine County Fire Departments realized they needed more personnel, apparatus, and equipment and decided to form the state’s first fire protection agency. The 1st of January, 1946, marked the first day of operation for the San Andreas Fire Rescue. Since that day, the department has had firefighters, EMTs, and Paramedics working, living, and sleeping 24/7, 365 days a year. SAFR would not see any major changes until 2019, when Sandy Shore Fire Company shuttered for over a year for major renovations. Following the completion of the renovations Harmony Engine Company absorbed the station and now operates the current Station 2 as a substation.
Patch used by the Los Santos fire companies in the late 18th century
Patch used by the Los Santos County Fire Department before the merger in 1888
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