Fire protection
The Center Pigeon Fire Department was born out of a group of church members. Those men envisioned a definite need for fire protection in their rural community. The burning of Spring Hill Church in 1951 motivated an organizational activity. The first members came together from the congregations of Spring Hill Baptist, Long's Methodist, Canton First Baptist, and Sunny Point Baptist churches.
The department received it's charter in 1956. Money was raised for donations within the community to purchase the first truck, a 1956 International. This truck was delivered by the vendor as an unequipped chassis. It was at this point that some of the local industry mad some very helpful contributions. Champion Papers and American Enka assisted in the effort to furnish equipment for the truck to make it usable in fighting fire. Of course, individuals within and outside of the community continued making financial contributions. Often times these contributions were made after a great deal of solicitation effort by the firemen, who until 1972, committed more time and personal financing for operation expenses that training and firefighting combined. The truck was housed in various basement garages in the community until a fire house could be built.
An used oil truck was purchased about 1959 to serve as a tanker increasing the mobile water supply to sixteen hundred gallons. The year of 1963 saw the purchase of a new Ford truck to haul the tank.
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