In 1936, at Spencer Fireworks in Polk, a box of fireworks that was set on a radiator ignited. The box of fireworks ignited explosives which leveled two main buildings and a garage at the business. The explosion also damaged the Polk United Methodist church and several houses. Fireworks pieces were found up to 5 miles away.
The took the first fire department to arrive on scene 25 minutes later, West Salem (now known as Town & Country Fire District) arrived first on scene and Ashland Fire Department arrived 3 minutes later. The Village of Polk had purchased some firefighting equipment but it was not in use yet.
This motivated some residents to establish a fire department. The first fire chief was Floyd Streit, and the first apparatus was a Model T with a chemical tank mounted on it. The following year Stanley Miller bacame chief, and they also purchased a Model A Ford truck which had a water tank and a pump. The “station” was in a old shed located by the hardware store.
In 1944, Polk acquired one of the civilian defense firefighting units that had been given to Ashland during the war, in case of bombing raids. They mounted the unit on a 1931 Ford truck.
In 1949, a cement block building replaced the old shed where the equipment was stored. An addition was built in 1954. In 1972, voters passed a levy to build a brand new fire station. The Polk Armory was razed by Amish horses as Polk natives watched the rafters being pulled down. Later, the fire department burned the rest of the debris. In 1974, construction started. The department moved into the new station in May of 1975.
Originally, the department served the Polk village and Jackson township, and in 1953 they agreed to cover the northern part of Perry township as well.
In 1985, the fire station (not the current one) was dedicated to Jim Goon after his death.
The current fire station was built in 1994? by Simonson Construction.