July 1
At midnight, Stony Hill Fire Chief A.C. Rich gave the final broadcast of the Stony Hill Rural Fire Department, as they signed off effect at 00:00 hours, and began operation as part of the new Northern Wake Fire Department. Listen to that radio traffic.
June 30
Northern Wake Fire Department begins operation on Saturday, July 1. Their marketing campaign rolled out this week, with information about their new organization, which consolidates Bay Leaf and Stony Hill fire departments.
They’ve created a new Facebook page, and a new Twitter account. They have a neat new web site, and have published a video slideshow on YouTube. On Thursday, they also issued a press release (PDF).
Media coverage has started, with stories from WTVD on June 8 and the News & Observer[1].
[1] Link now broken, http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article159032894.html
Lee Wilson photo
NWFD will operate from five stations with 28 pieces of equipment and 147 members. They’ll cover a 70 square-mile area that’s north of Interstate 540 and west of Wake Forest. They’ll be protecting some $6.71 billion of property, and some 33,000 residents.
Their fire tax district has been newly created, combining the old Bay Leaf and Stony Hill fire tax districts, and with some adjustments with land gains/losses to Durham Highway and Wake Forest’s rural district, based on closer unit responses. See this map (PDF).
Lee Wilson has been busy photographing their apparatus and stations, over the last couple of weeks. See his pictures in these two albums: NWFD 1/3/5 and NWFD 2/4.
Lee Wilson photos
Fire Chief Tim Pope, the former Bay Leaf Fire Chief, leads the command staff. He’ll have three Deputy Chiefs, Darrin Holt, Don Adams, and AC Rich, the former Stony Hill Fire Chief.
They’ll oversee four Assistant Chiefs, in charge of Operations, Training, Logistics, and Risk Reduction. Under Operations are two sets of Battalion Chiefs, two sets of team Captains, and four sets of station Captains. See this organization chart (pdf).
Here’s a collection of documents about the new organizations. Thanks to Chief Pope and his marketing committee for providing these and other information:
Over a Century of Service
Northern Wake Fire Department has a rich legacy, 115 years of combined service to the Bay Leaf and Stony Hill communities of northern Wake County. They were two of the earliest rural and “suburban” fire department created in Wake County.
There’s also another 46 years of history in the mix, from the Six Forks Fire Department, which merged with Bay Leaf FD in 2002. Six Forks was the first suburban fire department in Raleigh. See this prior blog posting with my family tree graphic.
Read histories of their departments on my Raleigh/Wake County history pages. Below are details on their station numbers and locations, and their fleet, which is newly numbered with a two-digit system replacing the earlier three-digit schema.
There’s is the second consolidation of two departments in the county’s history, after Yrac and Fairgrounds joined and formed Western Wake Fire Rescue in 1999. See below for a historical perspective on mergers and consolidations.
Stations
| Sta | Address | County # | Built | Notes |
| 1 | 11713 Six Forks Rd, Raleigh | 25 | 2013 | Former Bay Leaf Sta 1, site of original Station 1, built 1983 |
| 2 | 7045 Stony Hill Rd, Wake Forest | 26 | 2003 | Former Stony Hill Sta 1, adjoins site of original Station 1, built 1963 |
| 3 | 13116 Norwood Rd, Raleigh | 36 | 1993 | Former Bay Leaf Sta 2 |
| 4 | 15633 New Light Rd, Wake Forest | 39 | 1997 | Former Stony Hill Sta 2 |
| 5 | 1431 Lynn Rd, Raleigh | 12 | 1974 | Former Bay Leaf 3, and former Six Forks FD station, which merged with BLFD in 2002 |
Apparatus
| Sta | Unit | Year/Make/Model | Old Sta | Old Unit |
| 1 | Engine 11 | 2009 Pierce Contender p/t, 1250/1000 | BLFD 1 | Pumper 251 |
| 1 | Tanker 18 | 2013 Intl/KME tanker, 750/2000 | BLFD 1 | Tanker 257 |
| 1 | Ladder 15 | 1999 Pierce Dash rear-mount aerial ladder, 1500/200/20/105′ | BLFD 1 | Ladder 25 |
| 1 | Brush 19 | 2008 Ford/Seagrave brush truck | BLFD 1 | Brush 259 |
| 1 | Car 1 | 2001 SUV | BLFD 1 | Car 1 |
| 1 | Utility 10 | 2004 pick-up | BLFD 1 | Car 25 |
| 1 | Boat 1 | BLFD 1 | Boat 1 | |
| 2 | Engine 21 | 2015 Pierce Impel p/t, 1250/1000/20 | SHFD 1 | Pumper 261 |
| 3 | Engine 22 (Reserve) | 2005 Pierce Contender p/t, 1250/1000 | BLFD 2 | Pumper 361 |
| 2 | Tanker 28 | 2006 Intl/KME tanker, 750/1800 | SHFD 1 | Tanker 268 |
| 2 | Rescue 25 | 2009 Spartan Metrostar/Hackney walk-around rescue | SHFD 1 | Rescue 26 |
| 2 | Brush 29 | 2005 Ford F-550/Reading brush truck, 250/250 | SHFD 1 | Brush 263 |
| 2 | Car 20 | 2007 SUV | BLFD 3 | Car 120 |
| 2 | Car 21 | 2006 SUV | SHFD 2 | Car 26 |
| 2 | Utility 20 | 2017 pick-up | n/a | n/a |
| 3 | Engine 31 | 2005 Pierce Contender p/t, 1250/1000 | BLFD 1 | Pumper 258 |
| 3 | Engine 32 (Reserve) | 2005 Pierce Contender p/t, 1250/1000 | BLFD 2 | Pumper 367 |
| 3 | Tanker 38 | 2005 Intl/KME tanker, 500/2000 | n/a | Swift Creek Tanker 6 |
| 3 | Rescue 35 | 2017 Pierce Impel walk-around rescue | BLFD 2 | Rescue 36 |
| 3 | Utility 30 | 2017 pick-up | n/a | n/a |
| 3 | Boat 3 | BLFD 2 | Boat 2 | |
| 4 | Engine 41 | 2011 Pierce Saber p/t, 1250/1000 | SHFD 2 | Pumper 392 |
| 4 | Tanker 48 | 2009 Intl/KME tanker, 500/2000 | n/a | Rolesville Tanker 158 |
| 4 | Brush 49 | 2006 Ford F550/Reading brush truck, 250/250 | SHFD 2 | Brush 269 |
| 4 | Utility 40 | 2016 pick-up | SHFD 1 | Utility 26 |
| 4 | Boat 4 | SHFD 2 | Boat 26 | |
| 5 | Engine 51 | 2005 Pierce Contender p/t, 1250/1000 | BLFD 3 | Pumper 127 |
| 5 | Tanker 56 | 2005 Pierce Contender p/t, 1250/1000 | SHFD 2 | Pumper 395 |
| 5 | Air 55 | 2007 Intl/Hackney mobile air unit | BLFD 3 | Air 12 |
Notes:
Incoming Swift Creek and Rolesville tankers are part of a county-wide fleet changes enacted in the spring, and that included removal of county-funding for the retiring Bay Leaf apparatus listed below. They’re owned by and will be sold by the corporation.
Retired from Bay Leaf FD:
Pumper 121 – 2002 American LaFrance Eagle, 1750/100
Pumper 366 – 1999 Pierce Dash p/t
Brush 369 – 1992 Ford Super-Duty/____, 90/2000
Data Compared
| BLFD | SHFD | NWFD | |
| District in square miles | 36 | 34 | 70 |
| Property | $4.96B | $1.75B | $6.71 B |
| Population | 25,000 | 8,000 | 33,000 |
| Stations | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Personnel | 80 | 70 | 147 |
| Volunteers | 51 | 30 | 82 |
| Volunteer junior members | 0 | 31 | 13 |
| Full-time employees | 14 | 9 | 23 |
| Part-time employees | 14 | 18 | 29 |
| Call volume in 2016 | 1,115 | 465 |
Historical Perspective
What mergers, consolidations, and re-organizations have happened in Wake County, over the decades? Here’s your history:
- 1961 – Fairgrounds FD created, by members of recently dissolved Western Boulevard FD
- 1999 – Fairgrounds FD and Yrac FD consolidate as newly created Western Wake FD
- 2002 – Six Forks FD merges into Bay Leaf FD
- 2003 – Eastern Wake FD created, with members and assets of Knightdale FD
- 2013 – Falls FD merges into Wake Forest FD
- 2017 – Bay Leaf FD and Stony Hill FD consolidate as newly created Northern Wake FD.
But wait, Batman, what about the various municipalities and their town/rural mergers? Those were:
- 1972 – Fuquay-Varina FD (town) merges into Fuquay-Varina Rural FD
- 1982 – Wake Forest FD #2 merges into Wake Forest FD
- 1983 – Wake Forest FD (town) and Wake Forest Rural FD consolidate as newly created Wake Forest FD Inc.
- 1980s, mid – Wendell FD (town) merges into Wendell Rural FD
- 1994 – Morrisville FD (town) created, with members and assets of Morrisville Rural FD, plus prior town-paid employees.
- 1997 – Holly Springs Rural FD merges into Holly Springs Department of Public Safety
- 1999 – Fuquay-Varina FD (town) created, with members and assets of Fuquay-Varina Rural FD
- 2000 – Zebulon Rural FD merges into Zebulon FD
- 2002 – Apex FD (town) created, with members and assets of Apex Rural FD.