Before You Post That Photo to Facebook

This a re-posting of archive content, that’s no longer available on the Legeros Blog Archives site due to technical issues. For a related posting, see How to Become a Fire Photographer. March 6, 2015 Here’s today’s thought exercise. Should you post a fire photo to Facebook, if you’re a member of the department that’s fighting …

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Warrenton Fire Department History Notes

June 30, 2021 Updated posting, with new information including the builder of the 1890s hand engine, and the fact that the 1987 E-One platform did -not- serve WFD, but, instead, was placed in service with Warrenton Rural FD, and delivered after WFD merged with WRFD in 2004.  August 27, 2020 This week the Town of …

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The (Complete) History of the Cary/Yrac Split

What’s the (complete) history of the Cary/Yrac split in the early 1960s, that created a second fire department for calls outside of town? Have lately found conflicting accounts. Let’s take a (long) look. Earlier Summaries Legeros in 2003, from his Raleigh & Wake County Firefighting [Volume I], wrote the following: “In 1961, the Cary fire …

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Waynesville Explosion, 1942

Tale of a tragedy from western North Carolina. Early in the morning of Tuesday, July 14, 1942, a pair of explosion at a bulk fuel storage facility in Waynesville killed six people, and also fatally injured Fire Chief Lawrence Kerley. The local newspaper, the weekly Waynesville Mountaineer, provided ample coverage of the disaster, including these …

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Two Alarms in Durham – Condos Under Construction

Two alarms were struck in Durham just before midnight on Tuesday, August 11, 2020. Dispatched 11:50 p.m. for 512 Gordon Street. Three-story condo building, under construction. Behind the old the police station. Engine 1 advised smoke column while en route, requesting the box be filled. Second alarm requested by Engine 1 officer on arrival, with …

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Five Children Killed, No Working Smoke Alarms, Greensboro’s Deadliest Fire

August 2020 The officers of the first-arriving engine and ladder companies have shared their personal stories of that night, as a peer support resource. The recording was produced by the Greensboro Fire Department History Book Committe, and is linked from their web site at http://gfhbc.org/ May 2018 This blog posting was originally posted on Legeros …

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Recommendations For Cary Fire Department, 1971

In September 1971, the Town of Cary Safety Committee released a report with recommendations for improvements to the fire department. CFD like other town departments–indeed, like the community itself–had experienced growing pains. From 1960 to 1970, the town population explosion 121.4%, with expected 14% growth each year from 1970 to 1980. The fire department was …

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