Before our department was formed in February 1950, this area was covered by the Jefferson County Fire Department which consisted of three districts with one pumper in each district. Southwest Jefferson County was considered district three. The County donated its third district pumper to the newly formed Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Department to use as its only apparatus. The vehicle was stored in a Quonset hut that was shared with the Jefferson County Police where the present Southwest Government Center is located at 7219 Dixie Hwy. The department covered an area of approximately 35 square miles, from the cities of Louisville and Shively to the north, Third Street on the east, Ashby Ln to the south and the Ohio River to the west. These boundaries remained basically the same until we merged with the South Dixie Fire District in 2004.

In October of 1950, a taxing district was formed and our name was changed to the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire District. We purchased our first new pumper, a 1952 Pirsch , in January of 1952 for $9270.63. Our first fire station was built at 5417 Valley Station Rd in 1955 and was named Station 2. It was built to better cover the southern part of the district that was experiencing rapid growth. Station 2 is still in operation to this day, although it has had to have some additions built on over the years to accommodate expansion. Station 1 was built in 1958 at 4500 Kerrick Ln and the Quonset hut was finally abandoned. Station 1 also housed the district headquarters and the Chief's Office.

As the area grew, so did the number of fire stations. In 1963, Station 3 was added on Terry Rd to cover the western part of the district. Station 4 was built on Cane Run Rd in 1964 to cover the north and western areas. Station 5 was built in 1976 to cover the north and eastern areas. Finally Station 6 was built in 1992 as a regional training center and fire station for the new Riverport area. During this time, our two busiest firehouses, Stations 1 and 3, had new and bigger stations built to accommodate more equipment. The current Station 3 was completed in 1981 next door to the original station. Along with a new Station 3, a separate Headquarters was built at 8504 Terry Rd. The old Station 1 was razed to make room for the current one which was completed in February 1992.

Over the years, as technology advanced so did the means by which our firefighters were alerted to a fire. Originally calls were answered and dispatched directly by our radio room which was located in the original Station 1 on Kerrick Ln. It was modestly furnished with a tube type base radio and desk top microphone in the corner of the room. A flex line with all the streets in the district sat on a metal chair. A mag-needle telephone on the wall was used to activate the roof sirens. During the day, a dispatcher was on duty in the radio room. At night, calls were answered at Chief Ernie Bohler's house on Rose Farm Dr. His wife, known as "Ma" Bohler, answered the phone and dispatched the calls over a base radio located in their house. When a call was received, the dispatcher would key the microphone open and would give three short blasts with a bicycle horn to alert the firefighters at home who used open monitors to receive the calls. At the same time, the roof sirens were activated to alert any personnel who were not at home that there was a fire. Once at the firehouse, the dispatcher would give the type and location to the apparatus. This procedure remained the same until the 1980's when we started using fire pagers similar to what are still in use today.

The radio room moved out of Station 1 in 1983 and into the new Headquarters on Terry Rd. PRP continued to dispatch their own runs until August of 1987 when the dispatchers were transferred to the first career engine and the Louisville Fire Department, who under contract dispatched all the 21 County Fire Departments. Finally, in the middle 1990's, the system which exists today took shape. All calls for service and dispatching of County Fire Departments were transferred to the Jefferson County Police Telecommunications Center at 768 Barret Ave.

When the dispatch personnel were transferred to the career engine, we became what is known as a Combination Department. We now have two career engine companies with five members each to augment the volunteer force Monday through Friday from 6:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. when most volunteers have to work their regular jobs.

As we enter the new Millennium, we have been looking forward to anticipate the future needs of the communities we serve. The district, over the past few years has been replacing its fleet of fire apparatus. Along with this, our training division has constructed a multistory drill tower to provide more advanced training to our personnel. In 2004, we merged with the South Dixie Fire District and hired our first 24-hour career crew. We are doing this to better serve our community for the next fifty years.