This content first appeared in the older blog on January 19, 2013. Hey Mike, do you have a master list of all Raleigh Fire Department badge numbers[1], from long ago? Negative. Haven’t come across in 20+ years of research. Some clues have presented, however. This list of names, addresses, and badge and helmet numbers was …
This was previously posted in the old blog on January 19, 2013. Found in a log book in 2012, radio records for the Raleigh Fire Department circa 1957. Guessing that date as Engine 7 isn’t list, though Engine 9 is noted, which was the second engine at Station 1.
The Raleigh Fire Department’s largest recruit class ever graduated last night, on Wednesday, December 29, 2022. The ceremony was conducted at the Raleigh Convention Center, with retiring Division Chief of Professional Development David Whitley giving the keynote address. Three awards were given out, recognizing Joseph Harris as Valedictorian, Chase Johnson as Lt. Herman “Greg” Ellis, …
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Morning history. Random find. The first “rural truck” in Wake County history. Built by members of the Apex Fire Department in 1952, to expand service to “rural residents,” e.g. those that lived outside of the town limits. News & Observer photos from May (top) and August (bottom) 1952, scanned from film prints. Reported the paper …
Updated December 2022 with content from archive blog postings, replacing links to pages no longer available. Back in 2009, we published a series of blog postings, listing vintage fire cause reports from around North Carolina from the late 1940s through the late 1950s, as (a.) reported to the State Insurance Commissioner’s office, (b.) compiled by …
Continue reading ‘Cigarette Carried to Attic By Pigeon and Other Unusual Fire Causes’ »
Updated on December 11, 2022. Chart has been pushed to production, version 1.0. Here’s a draft of a Durham fire history chart, created in early 2020 during a run on DFD research. Let’s revisit and push the thing to production, shall we? View as JPG | View as PDF | Or via this Google Drive See …
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New infographic. North Carolina fire apparatus colors. See originating Facebook posting from August 2021. See PDF version.
One of the longest-serving captains in the history of the Raleigh Fire Department is retiring. Captain Rich Coats (top right) will retire on January 1, 2023, with 36.28 years of service, including 23.99 years as a captain. He’ll rank just a hair behind Captain James C. Munns (bottom), who retired in 1999 with 37.36 years …
New infographic, take one. Preemptive answer to social postings asking “why are there fire trucks here?” AKA, Mike’s spotter’s guide to the Raleigh Fire Department. Give it a test drive. See larger PDF version.
Morning map play. Using USDA aerial images from 1959 and 1971 to pinpoint the exact location of the original Six Forks FD locations. Plus a 2021 aerial image noting their approximate locations today. Maps via UNC Library. From my notes: 1956, first fire station is converted barn on south side of Howells Store at 4129 …
Continue reading ‘Mapping The First Six Forks Fire Stations’ »