Construction site with steel framework for a building, with water towers visible in the background.

Ponder Volunteer Fire Department

102 E Bailey St Ponder, TX

Established 1937

Ponder Volunteer Fire Department 102 E Bailey St Ponder, TX Established 1937

The Ponder Volunteer Fire Department’s station history reflects the steady growth and commitment of a community determined to protect its own.

Established in 1937, the department’s first fire truck was initially stored at the local general store until a Quonset hut was constructed to house the department-built apparatus. As the department grew, a metal barn was later built to accommodate two trucks and was expanded twice over the years to increase storage capacity. In the 1990s, an office was constructed within that station to support training and administrative functions.

In the early 2000s, the department purchased the neighboring train station property. The former scale house was repurposed into an office and training room and served the department for several years, while the adjacent warehouse building was used primarily for storage. By 2010, recognizing the need for a modern, purpose-built facility, the department made the decision to rebuild at the current location. This project resulted in the demolition of the warehouse, scale house, and metal building.

The current fire station was completed in late 2012 and dedicated in early March 2013 by department members and community dignitaries. The facility includes seven apparatus bays, a large shop, ample storage, built-in upstairs training props, six bedrooms, two full bathrooms, two half bathrooms, a dayroom, kitchen, training and meeting space, and administrative offices. It is designed to support up to six firefighters on a 24/7/365 basis.

Most recently, the station transitioned to 24/7 staffing. The department is currently working to maintain three to five personnel on duty daily, prioritizing ambulance staffing while supplementing responses with fire personnel and providing backup emergency medical services. This evolution marks another significant milestone in Ponder VFD’s ongoing commitment to professional, reliable service for the community.

Inside a fire station garage with fire trucks and a lift, view outside shows emergency vehicles and an overcast sky.
Group of firefighters assembling or inspecting a wooden structure inside a building or training facility.
Blue weathered shipping container in front of a beige and red industrial building.
Firefighters practicing rescue drills outside a fire station garage with equipment and chairs inside.
A fire department building with three fire trucks parked in front and a white pickup truck nearby. The building has a red metal roof and beige walls with a brick base, and a sign on the side indicating it is the Ponder Volunteer Fire Department.
Man kneeling down on gardening soil beside a concrete parking curb outside a building with metal siding and a brick foundation.
An office room with two flags, the United States flag on the left and the Texas state flag on the right, placed on gold flagpoles. A closed wooden door is centered between the flags. There is a black trash bin to the left of the U.S. flag and a white
Inside a fire station with a large American flag hanging from the ceiling, and organized firefighting equipment on racks in the foreground.
American flag hanging from the ceiling in a fire station or garage, with shelves of fire hoses and equipment below.
Construction site with steel framework, construction workers, machinery, parked vehicles, and a small building, under a clear blue sky.
Construction site with steel framework and partially built structure, with wind turbines and utility poles in the background under clear blue sky.
Construction site with a steel frame structure, with water towers in the background, under a blue sky.
Construction site inside a large building with scaffolding, lift equipment, and ongoing interior work.
Construction workers installing radiant floor heating system inside a large warehouse or industrial building, with scaffolding, ladders, and heating pipes on the floor.
Workers are pouring and leveling concrete in a construction site, with visible rebar framework and gravel footing.
Construction site with a large metal building, a white truck, and a cement mixer, with a dirt road and green grass in the foreground and a cloudy blue sky above.
A small industrial building with three large garage doors, two water towers on metal stilts behind it, utility poles and trucks parked nearby, with a dirt road in the foreground and a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Industrial building with three large water towers labeled 'POND' behind it, power lines and a few vehicles in the background.
A rural scene with three water towers, a large metal building with multiple garage doors, a parked pickup truck, and a smaller building in the foreground under a partly cloudy sky.
A large industrial building with multiple garage doors on a dirt lot, with two tall white water towers behind it, labeled 'POND' and 'WATER' and a clear blue sky overhead.
A child standing on a wheeled scaffolding inside a large, open garage or warehouse with big sectional doors, bright natural light, and a concrete floor.
Child standing inside a wheeled scaffold in a large indoor space with open garage doors.
Interior view of a building under construction with exposed wooden framing and steel ceiling beams.
Firefighter gear, including jackets and helmets, stored in red metal lockers against a white wall in a fire station.
Firefighter gear, including jackets, helmets, and bags, organized on red metal racks in a fire station storage room.
Inside a fire station garage with fire trucks, equipment, and people sitting and talking, some with notebooks and phones.
Aerial view of a large beige building with a red roof, four garage doors, a small white shed nearby, and an older metal-roofed structure to the side, surrounded by utility poles and a dirt road.
Group of motorcyclists and a person near parked motorcycles in front of a large building with garage doors, with water towers on the roof, under a clear blue sky.
Construction site with a large pile of dirt and rocks in the foreground, a white storage building labeled 'Ponder Volunteer Fire Department' in the background, a police vehicle parked next to the building, and construction materials and tools nearby.
Four children playing in a muddy construction site with dirt mounds, construction equipment, and boxes in the background, some of them are barefoot.
A collapsed wooden and metal fence in an outdoor area with gravel ground and a cloudy sky in the background.
Industrial area with metal storage building, water towers, and scattered construction materials under a blue sky with a few clouds.
Construction site with bulldozer and backhoe moving debris and rocks, empty wooden planter, industrial buildings, utility poles, and trucks in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
A construction site with a small bulldozer amidst rubble, debris, and bent metal wires, with a cloudy sky and power lines in the background.
Construction site with bulldozers, rocks, and a metal building under cloudy sky.
A group of people gathered around a yellow construction vehicle, with some seated and others standing, outside a building with a sign that is partially visible.