The Grafton Volunteer Fire Department was founded when Grafton was settled in 1882. The mission of GVFD has always remained the same- protecting lives and property for the citizens we serve.
The first motorized piece of fire equipment was purchased in 1920. The first modern firefighting pumper was added in 1932. The first fire station, which is still in use today, was the part of City Hall which previously had housed the City of Grafton Power Plant. The power plant moved out in 1930 and the fire department moved into the space. The new fire hall, Station 102, was built on Grafton’s west side along Highway 17 in 1984. Both of these locations still serve the citizens of Grafton today.
Some Notable Fires of Years Past
GVFD is actually made up of three different entities- The Grafton Volunteer Fire Department, the Grafton City Fire Department and the Grafton Rural Fire Protection District. Each of these entities provide automatic mutual aid to one another, meaning all equipment and manpower resources are available to each. The area served by these entities covers roughly 125 square miles.
In addition to this, GVFD also provides mutual aid to other surrounding departments when the need arises. Some of these include Minto, Park River, Drayton, St. Thomas and Hoople. Many of these other towns have also come to Grafton to assist when the need arises.
