Sunny View Fire & Rescue

Sunny View Volunteer Fire Department was established in 1967. Several men of the community held an organizational meeting to lay the groundwork of the department. During the months following that first meeting the department was founded.

There were six original charter members. Ralph Arledge, JD Wilson, Clarence Wilson, Pink McGuinn, Billy Hugh Ruff. The first Chief was Ralph Arledge. These men traveled to Lake Lure to learn basic firefighting skills. The newly established department had to raise money to build a station and buy Apparatus and equipment. The land for the station was donated by Pharaoh Lynch. The lumber was donated by Billy Hugh Ruff and Ruff’s sawmill. Donations were taken to purchase cement blocks and bricks for construction of the station. The exact origin of the first apparatus is uncertain but we think it came from Columbus, Tryon, or Lake Lure Fire Departments.

In 1981 members of the department attended the first Emergency Medical training offered by Polk County and along with the members of other county departments established the Polk County First Responder program. This program would put medically trained personnel in the communities to respond and administer aid prior to an ambulance arriving.

In 1993 after much consideration, Sunny View Volunteer Fire Department changed its charter with the State and incorporated as Sunny View Fire & Rescue. This change included the department doing medical training in house with its own first responder program. The department trained and equipped its members in vehicle extrication and other rescue disciplines. 1993 also saw an addition to the existing station of three more apparatus bays, an office and dayroom upstairs, and meeting room below.