Station 7 was built and opened in 1958. It opened with 1 paid firefighter and a volunteer company. The St Brides Volunteer Company purchased a used ambulance shortly thereafter to augment the 1 engine that Norfolk County purchased (1959 Ford/American La France 500/750). The station was originally built as a community center with teenage dances on weekends. The station continues to be the voting place for the Pleasant Grove Voting District. The original station had 2 small bays to house equipment.

In 1977 a bay was added to house a tanker. The station has been totally rebuilt, inside and outside, to better blend into the business we now perform. We protect a large area of south Chesapeake. We have mutual aid agreements and respond regularly, both fire and rescue, with Virginia Beach, Northwest Radio Station, and Currituck County, North Carolina.

Station 7 now houses 1 engine (2007 Pierce Quantum Pumper/Tanker), and 1 medic unit (1995 Ford/First Response). Our assigned personnel is 3 firefighters on the engine, and 2 paramedics on the medic.

Station 7 does not handle the call volume that some of the northern stations do, so we have extra duties assigned. We handle all of the ground ladder testing for the fire department. We are the Personal Accountability station, handling all of the supplies and design of the accountability system components. We also have our own sign shop. We mark helmets, assist with vehicle marking, make accountability names and numbers for the members of the department.

The location of the station, within 5 miles of the North Carolina border, has given the members assigned here to calling themselves "The Border Patrol". If you have visited the outer banks of North Carolina, you have probably passed our station. We realize that you don't want to get out of the line of traffic, so just "beep" when you pass!

Equipment housed at Station 7: