This content was previously published as a Facebook posting. Power and lighting units, what were the early ones in North Carolina? Below are some of the “big city” rigs. Shown left to right, top to bottom are: Charlotte – 1934-36 International/Charlotte Auto & Wagon Works. Added by June 1935, housed at Central Fire Station. Lights …
This is the time of year that attentions turn to diversity and inclusion. And an occasional question to Mr. History is “who were the first X, Y, Z” in the history of the Raleigh Fire Department. Let’s dig into those old (and newer) milestones, and build a list accordingly. Here we go. Inputs welcome, notably …
The Wake County Fire Commission will hold its another virtual version of its regular meeting on Thursday, January 20, 2022, at 7:00 p.m.. The agenda and meeting documents are below. Information on submitting public comments and access for viewing/listening are posted on the Wake County Public Meetings Calendar. View Meeting Documents Agenda Meeting Called to Order: …
Continue reading ‘Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – January 20, 2022’ »
This is a blog version of a Facebook posting. Reader question. Hey Mike, both Philadelphia and NYC have had their deadliest residential fires in decades. What’s the worst residential/multi-family fire in NC history? Answer: Believe it’s the Guthery Apartments in Charlotte on North Tryon Street on March 15, 1940, that killed nine. Recounts the Charlotte …
This is a blog version of a Facebook posting. Big news in Johnston County this week. North Side Fire & Rescue started service on Monday, December 4, at 9:00 a.m. The new department was created with a merger of Archers Lodge FD (est. 1958) and Thanksgiving FD (est. 1961). It’s believed to be the first …
On Tuesday, August 16, 1955, at the sixty-eighth annual convention of the North Carolina State Firemen’s Association, a portrait of the late, longtime state fire marshal Sherwood Brockwell was unveiled by his granddaughter, Mary Louise Joslin, daughter of Louise Brockwell Joslin and A. L. Joslin of Danville, VA. The portrait was presented to the NCSFA …
This content first appeared as a Facebook posting in August 2021. Hey Mike, which fire department was the first in North Carolina? Great question. Let’s tease out an answer. First, some ground rules. For our purposes, fire department = fire company, as that was the verbiage of colonial times. Second, fire companies do NOT include …
Continue reading ‘First Fire Department in North Carolina?’ »
The Wake County Fire Commission will hold its regular-schedule meeting on Thursday, November 18, 2021. This is a physical, in-person meeting. It starts at 7:00 p.m. at the Emergency Services Education Center, 221 S. Rogers Lane, Raleigh. The agenda and meeting documents are below. Information on submitting public comments and access for viewing/listening are posted …
Continue reading ‘Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – Thursday, November 18, 2021’ »
Note: See this Facebook posting for comments and discussion about this blog posting. This posting was updated on November 14, 2021 On August 1, 1979, the Nahunta Volunteer Fire Department in Wayne County became the first rural fire department in both North Carolina and the nation to receive a municipal fire insurance rating, because of …
Continue reading ‘First Rated Rural Water Supply – Nahunta FD, 1979’ »
Contents Introduction Durham’s Auxiliary Trucks Wilmington’s Auxiliary Trucks Sources Introduction How many cities in North Carolina operated “auxiliary trucks” in the 1940s and later? Show are trucks from Wilmington, Raleigh, and Durham. The top photo, from a photocopy, appears in Wilmington Fire Department 1897-1985. More on their auxiliary trucks below. The middle photo is Raleigh’s 1948 …