The beginnings of the Davis Fire Department occurred in March of 1917, after a series of devastating fires destroyed many town buildings. This tragedy awakened the citizens of Davis to the desperate need for a formal fire department. Walter Lillard was appointed as the first fire chief, overseeing 15 volunteer firefighters. The equipment used varied greatly from the resources modern firefighters use today, but the dedication to serving the citizens has remained the same.

A Ford truck was purchased and later it became the city's first rescue squad.

Participation in the volunteer fire department grew with increased community support.

The first paid firefighter was hired.

A new headquarters station was built at 530 Fifth Street. The department consisted of 19 professional and 43 volunteer firefighters. The Davis Fire Department began to provide service to East Davis County Fire Protection District and Fire Station 33 was established.

Station 32 was built in West Davis. The old station 32 was absorbed by the police department for evidence storage. An Emergency Medical Technician Certification requirement was implemented for all personnel.

The squad and all first out engines were equipped with semi-automatic defibrillators that were purchased with the support of the East Davis County Fire Protection District. Additionally, in 1999, the “2 in 2 out” policy was proposed by the DFD and adopted by the Davis City Council to comply with the OSHA requirements. This impacted the department most by increasing the firefighters per engine from 3 to 4.