Records show that the Parish of Croydon had three manual pumps in 1745 and that a fire brigade formed in 1864. The Croydon Retained Fire Brigade had two divisions. One based in Croydon with 20 firefighters stationed at Crown Yard. There were 4 further firefighters based at South Norwood. These merged in 1867 under the control of the Board of Health.
A new headquarters station opened in Park Road in 1906. This meant that the Brigade had three fire stations overall, the headquarters, at Thorton Hill and also South Norwood.
On 13 October 1915, a hydrogen filled airship, known as a Zeppelin, dropped 18 bombs on Croydon. This caused wide-spread fires and damage and required the whole Brigade to attend.
When Chief Officer Dane retired in 1933, Frederick W Delve became the Chief Officer of Croydon Fire Brigade. Delve later become the Chief Officer of London Fire Brigade.
In November 1936, Croydon Fire Brigade received a call from Penge Fire Brigade to help fight a fire at the Crystal Palace. High winds and timber flooring allowed the fire to spread quickly. Before long the inferno was so immense that it was seen from miles away. Croydon responded with 6 fire engines, along with more than 50 fire engines from London. The building, which was more than a quarter of a mile long, was sadly destroyed.
Croydon firefighters were heavily involved during the Blitz bombings, assisting their London colleagues. Croydon suffered 141 flying bomb and rocket attacks, causing large areas of destruction.
The National Fire Service (NFS) in Croydon established a 'Special Flying Column'. This brought together vehicles, equipment and personnel who could travel anywhere in the country to assist with firefighting or rescue work. This idea was soon used throughout the NFS and several other columns were formed.
Croydon Fire Brigade returned to local authority control. In 1961 work was completed on the new headquarters, which is the current Croydon Fire Station. The modern design included a unique drill tower.
In 1965, with the formation of the new Greater London Council, Croydon Fire Brigade became part of London Fire Brigade. At that time the headquarters station also featured a workshop for the Croydon Fire Brigade.
Croydon Fire Station responds to a variety of incidents including fires, flooding and road traffic incidents. The station houses a pump fire engine, a pump ladder fire engine and a Fire Rescue Unit. These are crewed by a Station Officer, a Sub Officer, 3 Leading Firefighters and 15 firefighters.