• December 24, 1947 Whitney-Franklin Fire Department established and operated out of a small station- a garage, really – at the corner of Nez Perce and Vista Avenue. Don Layne was the acting Fire Chief. At that time Boise City limits ended at the Depot. Lacking a good radio system, it depended on a local cab company to get messages to the men in the field. According to newspaper accounts, even in the late 1950s the Whitney Cab Co. would accompany fire trucks to fires and stand by in case firefighters needed more men or equipment. Whitney’s first fire trucks were just Ford Trucks with water tanks welded on the back. The cabbies would radio the info to their dispatcher, who in turn would phone the fire department.
• 1960s Boise annexed a large part of the Boise Bench which was a financial blow to the Whitney-Franklin Fire District. During this time the all-volunteer Triangle Dairy Fire Department, in south Boise, decided to disband, and residents there petitioned to become part of the Whitney district. Whitney Fire District also made its first big move into the 4000 block of Overland in efforts to stay ahead of the Boise City advance from the east and the growth in population toward the west. Further annexations by Boise City eventually divided the Whitney District into two sections, one in the southeast, and the other to the west of the city.
• 1961 Whitney Fire Department received their first radio dispatch system.
• 1967 Whitney makes another big move to the 9500 block of Overland.
• 1976 Second station built at 4223 Amity Road, to serve southeast Boise. Future Fire Chief Bill Squires is hired.
• 1978 First Fire Chief Don Layne retires and Ray Stocke was hired as the new Fire Chief.
• 1980 Whitney Fire places a moratorium on builders for safety.
• 1981 Whitney District voters approved a 1 year override.
• 1983 Whitney District voters approved a 2 year override.
• 1986 Within 10 years Bill Squires moved through all the ranks and becomes Fire Chief for the District.
• 1999 Boise City annexed 2,620 acres (approx. 5,000 residents) of county land and carved out a big part of Whitney Fire District’s tax base.

By January 2000 Whitney Fire Department served some 28,000 county residents in two semirural areas. It operated with 20 full time firefighters and an equal number of part-time volunteers. In an effort to provide the best possible services to the citizens of the district, Fire Chief Bill Squires entered into negotiations with Boise City to contract for fire services.