The Appalachia Fire Department was established in 1922 as a Volunteer Fire Company serving both the Town of Appalachia and the County of Wise.   The Appalachia Fire Department is located in the Southwest part of Virginia bordering the State of Kentucky and Lee Co. Virginia.    The department's fire district is the largest in Wise Co. covering a total of 83 square miles.    An area rich with mining and railroading history which still exists today.    The area again is seeing a major surge of coal production.  The area consists of deep mining along with surface mining.   This in return has increased rail traffic in our local region.

The department is one of the busiest fire departments also in Wise Co. with a call volume between 350 to 500 calls per year.    Today our department provides a wide variety of services.   Our department provides both fire protection and EMS services to the Town of Appalachia and County of Wise.  Specialized services such a vehicle extrication, swift water rescue, rope rescue and hazardous materials response are also duties that the Appalachia Fire Department performs.   The department handles many diverse and difficult emergencies.  Due to the terrain and the diverse industries in our fire district, incidents can become very complex.   Our incidents can range from ATV accidents, fires involving mining equipment, high rise fires, wildland fires, rope rescue and  swift-water flooding incidents.   

The department also provides services in area's of fire prevention and fire hydrant maintenance.   Free smoke alarms have been distributed throughout our fire district to insure families have safe and working smoke alarms.  The department also conducts fire safety education to local schools, elderly groups, church and civic organizations.    Another area of fire safety and prevention is the department's constant maintenance of fire hydrants in our fire district.   The Town of Appalachia and coal camps are gifted with adequate water and fire protection.   The Town of Appalachia's water system provides fire  protection to 90% of occupied dwellings within our coverage area.