Station Location: Blessing Dr. (East of Stickney Ave. - Current Township Hall building)

Coverage Area Borders: North-State Line, South - City of Toledo border (roughly Manhattan Blvd.), East- Detroit-Toledo Shoreline Railroad tracks, West - Lewis Ave.

Information:

The following is from an article in the June 29, 1966 Toledo Blade "Alexis Fire Department, A Town In Itself, Becomes a Ghost" by John Grigsby

Organized in 1937 in the center of Washington Township, the Alexis department was one of the least known of the volunteer units around Toledo. It was virtually hidden from the public at David and Blessing Drives, a couple of side streets off Stickney Avenue near Benore road. But it was one of the busiest and most vital to industrial, commercial and residential centers.

In it's heyday, the Alexis department provided the major fire protection to factories along the northern rim of Toledo - Toledo Scale, General Tire & Rubber (Textileather), City Auto Stamping, Dura, AP Parts, Ottawa River Paper and Autolite to name a few. It also offered rescue squad service on Telegraph, Laskey, Alexis, Benore and Matzinger Roads, Dixie Highway and Lewis Avenue, all of them vital highways.

The department was formed under the leadership of John Raitz. They obtained the use of a Model T chemical truck that had been used at Trilby and stored it in Mr. Raitz's garage at Stickney Ave. & David Dr. The firemen donated much of the labor in constructing their own building which was opened on March 1, 1938. A pumper from the Township's old Point Place station was assigned there.

 In 1964-65 most of Washington Township was annexed by the City of Toledo. By 1965, the Alexis VFD coverage area had been reduced from 7 square miles to the 6 blocks surrounding the station and had the 35 volunteers had gone from answering up to 200 calls per year to only 10- 3 fires and 7 rescue squad calls. 

The Township Trustees felt that the area could now be adequately served by the Shoreland department and on June 30, 1966, they disbanded the Alexis Volunteer Fire Department. 

After that date, the only remaining Washington Township Fire Department was the Shoreland VFD, today's current station.