Rumor has it that Mountain Park Volunteer Fire Department was built from the funds raised by the community. Citizens of the area came together and planted a field of tobacco, farmed it, and sold it to construct the first building that would become the fire department. As with many rural, poor communities, fires would frequently plague various businesses, homes, and structures. The Mountain Park Volunteer Fire Department would be founded in 1957 under Chief Kemp Lewis, though their first building wouldn't be erected until 1962. 

Fires weren't the only emergency the community faced, however. Moody's Funeral Home provided ambulance services until 1972 (not an uncommon situation at the time for small communities), and while Surry County EMS would eventually be established in 1974, it only had 5 ambulances to cover the county. So in 1983, Captain Frank Nixon of the Fire Department was appointed as the first head of Mountain Park Rescue Squad. At this time, our squad was a branch of the Mountain Park Volunteer Fire Department (then called Mountain Park Fire & Rescue), boasting a single "crash truck" that was parked outside. It's difficult to say exactly when, but eventually Captain Charles Collins would be tasked with heading the rescue component of the Fire & Rescue agency. It was under his leadership that Mountain Park Rescue Squad would garner it's own identity in 1983. Though still a branch of the fire department, it operated independently and developed it's first patch (which is now our seal) as it began to grow. 

On June 16, 1992 under Chief Tony Sewell, Mountain Park Rescue Squad officially became it's own 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Chief Sewell was well known for his lead by example style of leadership. During his administration, many remembered him for running almost every call that the squad had. He is credited with most of the foundational milestones our agency made: first boat, first ATV, and more. Chief Sewell is also credited with establishing the "Fire Standby" in the county, where he pledged squad resources to standby for and take care of their fellow firemen when on an active fire scene. He would retire from Chief in 2003 after laying the blocks for the agency, opening the doors for the next era of leadership.

A new Chief was elected by the membership in 2015, and said Chief would go on to perform one of the most remarkable financial recoveries that a small nonprofit could ask for. Chief Christy Hooker leveraged exceptional frugality to get the agency back on track. Her administration oversaw the replacement of apparatus 833 with the current 2012 Chevy Tahoe in spite of the challenges the agency faced. The agency also made a notable shift to upgrading our Amkus Hydraulic Rescue Tools on both apparatus 836 and 835. The vehicle rescue capabilities of the squad continued to advance much like they had in the age of advancement. Like her predecessor, Chief Hooker was (and still is) a Paramedic for Surry County EMS.

One of the largest and most ambitious accomplishments was the procurement of agency's first plot of land. Located directly across the Mountain Park Volunteer Fire Department (from who we shared space with), the land would be financed so that a building could be one day built. Outside of vehicles and equipment, it marked the largest capital acquisition the rescue squad had ever made. The deal involved procuring a larger parcel of land, and then re-selling part of it to the Mountain Park Baptist Church. 

In 2018, the district suffered a range of damage from Hurricane Michael. The most transformative of those damages was the collapse of the Kapps Mill Dam, a historic low-head dam that braced the Mitchell River since 1827. Kapps Mill was a gristmill that had operated from it's construction in the late 1820s until 1935; pre-dating the larger Mountain Park community. For many in the community, it was the loss of one of the most distinguished landmarks the community had. This would mark the last time in the Kapps Mill area that true flooding occurred, as restoration projects for the Mitchell River would include significant flood mitigation design. Mountain Park Rescue Squad frequently watched this area during storms knowing the flood risk, as it was not the first time such events had happened. Hurricane Michael was no different in regards to our initial response, but it would be the last time we would see the Kapps Mill Dam.

Just as with all community agencies, the growing problem of diminishing volunteerism began to heavily plague the agency nearing 2019. On the heals of this rising problem came the COVID-19 Pandemic. During this time, the agency was required by the Surry County EMS System to reduce operations to minimize first responder exposure. Coupled with funding cuts and the inability to fundraiser in-person, another difficult era for the agency approached. Nonetheless, the agency continued to make progress and grow in spite of these challenges. Chief Hooker would step down in 2021 after leaving measurable progress for the agency and sustaining it during the early stages of the pandemic.

An unlikely candidate originally from Stokes County, Chief Austin Love would assume the role in 2021. While he had been an EMT at Surry County EMS and Lifestar Emergency Services, the bulk of his native experience came from Surry County 911 Communications (also known as CCOM). The COVID-19 Pandemic had not yet provided relief, and connections to the community had become limited. Funding, volunteerism, and sustaining operations were all major priorities that required immediate attention.

One thing was certain: the squad needed a new approach. Modernization efforts flooded the agency, from standardized processes, to a new website, to branding for recruitment materials, and to automating administrative processes. As COVID-19 grant funding finally formed, Chief Love focused on the concept of "One Man Rescue", which recognized the need to equip and train volunteers to perform the same rescues with significantly less manpower. This was true for operations, logistics, and administration. Wilderness/SAR and Rope Rescue capabilities saw significant advancement under his administration.

Around the same time, Chief Love conducted an ambitious campaign for both recruitment and connection. In 2022, a weekend-long door-to-door campaign took place making contact with residents and having conversations. During this, volunteers spread the word and got to know their community (as well as what was keeping community members from volunteering). This would lead to a larger reconnaissance project called Operation Bryan and, later on, the response project named Operation Re-Anchor. 

Hurricane Helene hit Western Surry County on September 26th, 2024. Squad personnel focused on flood surveillance, public messaging, and assisting fire departments with an overwhelming number of trees blocking roadways. Overnight and during-storm operations were maintained by a handful of volunteer rescuers. Volunteers then returned home to no electricity, which remained the case for thousands of citizens until power companies finally restored it days later. In some places of the district, it took well over a week to get power back.

In December of 2024, Mountain Park Rescue Squad received a series of grants to construct our first home building. Around the same time, Chief Love was also elected as President of the Surry County Association of Rescue Squads (SCARS), marking the first time that our agency had held a substantial regional impact.

Construction began mid 2025, with Elite Builders of Surry being awarded the project. The construction of a 3-bay building with a single bathroom began, with the goal of the project to be a solid starting point and making the most out of the grant.