Construction of the Woodlawn Fire Station #12 commenced in 1960, culminating in its grand opening on October 30, 1961. The station's establishment was prompted by the city's annexation of this area. Prior to the inauguration of Station 12, the Woodland Volunteer Fire Department catered to this locality. However, they relocated to 8041 and eventually disbanded in 1974 after the opening of Fire Station 20 just a few miles down the road.
Engine 12 (E12) was the second engine running out of Station 4. It operated from 1956 to 1960 before moving into their new quarters. In the early years, Battalion 3, then known as District 3, was based at Station 12.
At that time, District 3 was comprised of E12, E6, L6, E9, E10, and E13. E13 was the second engine running out of Station 10 at that time. District 3 was renamed "Car 5" and remained at Station 12 from 1961-1969 before relocating to Station 10.
Throughout its history, Station 12 housed several apparatuses including several Tanker 12s, a Brush 12, and Ladder 12. Even E20 briefly operated from there while its station was under construction. Ladder 12 was stationed at Station 12 from 1973-74 before relocating to become Ladder 16. Squad 2 was also briefly assigned to Station 12 before moving to Station 10 and evolving into Squad 10, later rebranded as Rescue 10.
Station 12 is unique for several reasons. It has been assigned to Battalions 1, 3, and 5, and it was originally built with one very large single bay door. This door was very heavy and proved to problematic, eventually having to be replaced by 2 smaller bay doors. In addition, E12 was 1 of 4 companies in the city to have a Telesquirt.
Engine 12 has consistently been one of the busiest single houses in the city. From 2004-2023, Engine 12 has run a total of 88,021 calls for service, averaging 4,632 calls a year. Engine 12 has consistently ranked among the top three busiest companies over the last 19 years. And since the city's adoption of digital tracking, it has been recorded that E12 was the first to exceed 5,000 calls in a single year.
