The Free Soil/Meade Fire Department was established through a community effort, beginning with the construction of a fire barn in the late 1940s. With the purchase of a new fire truck in 1950, the station became operational. The original station was staffed by volunteers from the community.

Prior to 1979, when the Grant Township Fire Department was opened, Free Soil/Meade responded to calls across a large area, covering from Lake Michigan to the Lake County line and north to the Manistee County line. An early photograph of the Free Soil station shows a large siren mounted on the roof, used to summon volunteers for fire deployments.

The original station was a two-bay building, which has undergone three expansions over the years. Today, the station consists of four bays and a meeting room.

The Free Soil/Meade station currently has 11 trained first responders certified in firefighting and/or medical first response, plus one on probationary status. These responders are also available to assist any station within Mason County or the surrounding areas. The department’s fleet includes a pumper, a tanker, a medical truck, two brush trucks, and a Ranger side-by-side with an enclosed trailer.