Pinoca Volunteer Fire Department

== History ==
The Pinoca Volunteer Fire Department of Paw Creek Township was the third Volunteer Fire Department in Mecklenburg.  It was incorporated on April 15, 1949, with its first meetings held in June 1949. The department was ready to operate on August 1, 1949.   
The department's fire station was built by the members and was located at what is now 5530 Hovis Road, near Oakdale Road and old Mt. Holly Roads. The building still stands and is currently an automobile repair shop. 
By 1951, there were 48 volunteer FFs and two trucks, a 1,000 GPM pumper and a 1,500-gallon tanker. 
Pinoca VFD’s district was impacted by City of Charlotte annexations and by the 1990s much of their district had been annexed into the city, including their fire station, leaving the district with only about 5 square miles.  
In 1991, Mecklenburg County Commissioners adopted a policy that required county officials to stop funding volunteer fire departments whose territory can be covered by other departments and if the closing of the department would not increase fire insurance rates for district residents.  If the County Commissioners agreed, department would only receive two more years of funding. 
In 1992, the County Fire Marshall examined all 21 volunteer departments in Mecklenburg County and found that only Pinoca meet the new, tougher standard.  The County Fire marshall felt that if Pinoca VFD closed, other departments could cover their district and could arrive on the scene within the prescribed time limits.  At the County Commissioners Meeting on April 6, 1992, Pinoca VFD volunteers showed up to protest the proposed closing of their department.  In the end, Commissioners voted to ignore the policy and continue funding the department for at least one more year. 
Annexation by the City of Charlotte continued and in 1993, the County Fire Marshall recommended closing three volunteer department, Carmel, Derita and Pinoca.  This time, recognizing the county would save over $300,000 a year, commissioners voted 6 to 1 to cut off funding to the departments in 1995.  Unable to survive on only fundraiser and donations, Pinoca Fire Department closed and what remained of their district was taken over by the West Mecklenburg Fire Department in July of 1995.
Category:Defunct fire departments of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina