Ever since the Town of Olathe was incorporated in 1907, volunteers have handled the firefighting duties for Olathe and its surrounding rural area.  In 1924, the first volunteer fire department was officially organized for the town and a Model T Ford truck was purchased.  The fire truck was used to get to the fire and carry all the needed equipment to fight fires.  To pump water, a hand pumper was hooked to the fire hydrant and was pumped by two men, one on each side.

As the area grew, there became a need to fight fires also in the rural area around Olathe, so in 1947, the Olathe Rural Fire Protection District was formed ans funded by the county.  The legal boundaries for the district included the entire north area of Montrose County: north to the Delta County line, east and west to the BLM boundaries, and south to approximately Ida Road, where it joins the northern boundary for the Montrose Fire Protection District.

In January 2022, the Olathe district took over the operations of the ambulance service from the Montrose district and made it part of the Olathe Rural Fire Protection District's operations, funded by a subsidy from Montrose County.  In November 2002, the district's voters approved a one-mill levy to support the ambulance service and therefore, the annual county subsidy was discontinued and the Town of Olathe subsidized $9,000 annually for several years.  Typically, ambulance services struggle to meet budgetary needs, and OFPD is no different.  Ambulance service charges are capped by current healthcare regulations and contractual obligations with state and federal health insurances, making grant funding an essential tool for capital improvements district-wide.

In 2013, the district was able to secure a grant to help build our first new station located at 406 S. 5th St. in downtown Olathe.  The new building is a hallmark building in  Olathe and houses most of the district equipment and apparatus.  Most medical response is dispatched directly from the station, however, paramedics and EMT's were paid minimally to be available for emergencies.  It has been a long-time goal of the district to one day provide full-time EMS and Firefighting personnel at the station to continue improved response times.

This day was realized on January 1, 2021.  Now, 9 full-time FF/EMT's serving on rotating shifts, provide response to fires, medical calls, motor vehcile accidents, inter-facility transfers, and are also involved in community functions, including local parades, the annual Mock Car Crash staged at the olathe High School (informing local youth of the dangers of drunk driving), water fights with the Boys & Girls Club, and Olathe National Night Out.  PRN's and volunteer firefighters supplement response needs, providing the necesasry manpower to facilitate the Olathe Community's needs and are a vital component of the Colorado Emergency Management System on the Western Slope.