The Salado Volunteer Fire Department was established in the mid 1960’s and was one of the first volunteer fire departments organized in Bell County.

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The department began operations with one 1950 pumper truck located by Salado Creek in a two-door garage building. At that time, the 911 Emergency System did not exist. Instead, Salado fire and emergency calls were telephoned to the local hotel – The Stagecoach Inn. Firemen were telephoned at their homes or work to respond to calls for help. Some years later, a siren was installed close to the fire station. When a call for help was made to the fire station, the entering call would activate the siren. The sound of the siren could be heard all over the village. When the volunteers heard the siren, they would come to the station and respond to the emergency. Today, Bell County has established a state of the art communication center that dispatches all fire, police, sheriff, and ambulance services.