The North Central Fire Protection District was formed on July 31, 1947.  The District served 300 square miles, which included unincorporated areas along the northern and western borders of the City of Fresno, the incorporated City of Kerman and the township of Biola. Today the District covers 230 square miles with a population of 50,000.

In 2007 the District entered into a service agreement with the Fresno City Fire Department for labor to provide fire protection throughout the District.  In 2018, the Board of Directors made the decision to re-hire fire suppression personnel and open 4 out of 5 District’s fire stations on July 1, 2019, staffing four engines and one truck company, two patrol units, three water tenders, along with one battalion chief on-duty. The District has 54 suppression personnel providing an effective fire fighting force of 18 fire personnel daily.