Roanoke Island, located on the Outer Banks
of North Carolina, is known for its famous "firsts" in America, including being the
home of the first settlement in the New
World by Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony
as well as the being the birthplace of
Virginia Dare, the first child born of English parents in America before the colony's mysterious disappearance.

Staying in the tradition of "firsts," the
Manteo Fire Department was the first on
the Outer Banks, dating back to its start in
1928. According to Vernon Davis, a charter member of the department, they were
little more than a bucket brigade, as they
pulled an old chemical tanker around
town by hand, to fight fires.

From it's beginnings at a small location
on the Manteo Waterfront, the Manteo
Fire Department moved to its long-time
location in downtown Manteo in 1930. In
1974, the Manteo FD and the Wanchese
FD, joined together to form a unified department, known as the Roanoke
Island Volunteer Fire Department.
Today's firefighters work out of one
of two stations on Roanoke Island ...
the North Station, the department's
newest station, built in 1990, is located
on Hwy. 64/264 in Manteo and the South
Station, which is located in the village of Wanchese. Fire calls on Roanoke island
are answered by both stations.