History of Durham Fire Chiefs

Storing here, for future reference needs. Volunteer Fire Department R. D. Blacknall, 1882 to 1886 TBD, as records from 1887 to 1888 were destroyed. But some known things include Howard E. Heartt was Fire Chief in September 1888, source NCSFA organizational meeting proceedings.  Howard E. Heartt, May 21, 1889 to Jan 6, 1891 Albert Kramer, …

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When They Closed Station 3 in 1917

Found a piece of hidden history this week, about the original Station 3 at 135 East Hargett Street. That was the old Victor Company quarters, erected in 1898 for the all-black volunteer fire company. After the career department was activated in December 1912, the volunteer companies were disbanded. The old station reopened in February 1913, …

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Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – November 21, 2019

The next meeting of the Wake County Fire Commission will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2019, at 7:00 p.m., at the Wake County Emergency Services Training Center, which is located in a warehouse building at 220 South Rogers Lane, in Suite 160.   Agenda is below. View the meeting documents. Meeting Called to Order – Chairman …

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Orange County Rescue Histories

Let’s build a timeline. Histories of rescue services in Orange County. To be updated over the coming days and weeks. Based on this Facebook posting. See also this Google drive folder of research documents.  1963 to 1969 1963, Apr – Class project started by UNC Air Force ROTC cadets, for a civilian defense “operational survival …

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The Future of Apex Station 1

This is a blog version of an earlier Facebook posting.  In case you missed it, the Apex Town Council on September 3, 2019, held a work session to discuss “future plans for maintaining an operating fire station” at the Station 1 location, 210 N. Salem Street. As noted in the work session agenda item, it …

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Apex Volunteer Fire Department Minutes 1956 to 1979

October 2020 Read complete research document of transcribed minutes at www.legeros.com/history/library/minutes/ November 2019 Found in my files, excerpts from transcribed minutes of the Apex Volunteer Fire Department Inc., from 1956 to 1979. Below are some highlights that caught my eye. See related historical photos in this album from the Raleigh Fire Museum: www.flickr.com/photos/raleighfiremuseum/albums/72157687765234902 Note, will …

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After-Action Reports to Durham Gas Explosion

legeros.com/blog/docs/durham/after-action/ Two after-action reports were released yesterday from the deadly downtown Durham gas explosion in April. The reports are from Durham City/County Emergency Management and the Durham Fire Department. I’ve downloaded copies and they’re stored at the above links. (Since government web doc links can expire after a number of years.) See sundry media coverage, …

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Two Alarms on Sanderson Drive

This is a blog version of an earlier Facebook posting.  Two alarms were struck on Friday morning, November 8, 2019, on Sanderson Drive, at a house fire near the Carolina Country Club. Below are some notes taken while listening and later. See more aftermath photos from Legeros. See also this Twitter video from Jamiese Price, …

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Fire Protection is Weak at Raleigh – 1911

The June 1911 issue of Fire & Water Engineering Magazine, Issue 24, Volume 49, featured this story on a fire protection report issued by the National Board of Fire Underwriters. Read more about the 1911 report, as well as the 1924 report and 1931 report. Editor’s Note: This report compelled city officials to reorganize the …

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