Infographic of North Carolina Fire Apparatus Colors
New infographic. North Carolina fire apparatus colors. See originating Facebook posting from August 2021. See PDF version.
Archive of entries posted by Mike Legeros
Longest Serving Raleigh Fire Captains
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 …
Fire Truck Spotters Guide
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.
Mapping The First Six Forks Fire Stations
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 …
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Emergency Phones
From the archives. Random find. Utility poles in downtown Raleigh that once had emergency phones mounted. September 2010. Plus one historical picture. In 1971, city officials authorized installation of a telephone system to replace the familiar fire alarm boxes and for reasons including the frequency of false calls. By that year, false calls accounted for …
Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 Crash in Charlotte
This is an expanded version of a Facebook posting on November 24, 2022, and a blogs archive posting (PDF) from April 8, 2010. Courtesy of the Don Sturkey Photographic Materials (P0070), North Carolina Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill Library, from Fatal Distraction by Philip Gerard in Our State magazine. Contents Introduction Timeline Charlotte Fire Department Narrative Introduction On …
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Black Fire Companies of Fayetteville
This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from November 15, 2022. What’s the history of the city’s colored fire companies, as they were called, back in the day? Shown is a clipping from the Statesman on February 7, 1874, via North Carolina Newspapers. Great research topic for someone and made easier by the …
Mapping Cumberland County Former Fire Stations
From 2018, map of Fayetteville annexation history, plus added locations of current and former city and county fire stations.
Death of New Bern Assistant Fire Chief Johnnie Gaskill, 1904
How exactly did New Bern Assistant Fire Chief John “Johnnie” J. Gaskill die in the line of duty on November 6, 1904? His death been long-attributed to injuries resulting from a fire horse kicking him in the head. In recent years, NBFD historian Daniel Bartholf dug deep into surviving records and newspaper clippings and wasn’t …
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Master List of North Carolina Tillers
Here’s a master list of all motorized tractor-drawn aerial ladders (tillers) (plus one tiller rescue) past ‘n’ present ‘n’ future in North Carolina. View master list of tillers (PDF). List last updated June 2025. Big thanks to Andrew Messer, for his western/central NC apparatus data.