Archive of entries posted by Mike Legeros

Vintage Pennant from the North Carolina Volunteer Firemen’s Association

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This content originated as a Facebook posting. NCVFA history. Fabric (felt) pennant for the 1956 annual meeting of the North Carolina Volunteer Firemen’s Association, AKA the colored firemen’s association. They met in Warrenton in July of that year, for their 66th annual gathering. ^ Warrenton is notable in the state’s history of black firefighters as …

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Factory Photo of Warrenton’s Ford/Bean Pumper

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This content was first posted on Facebook. Warrenton history. Factory photo of 1964? Ford/Bean, 750/500. Reg # B6706. Called a John Bean HPV Fire Fighter, and equipped with high-pressure capability. Delivered with two high-pressure fog guns, two 1 1/2-inch pre-connected lines, three 2 1/2-inch outlets, and 1,200-foot capacity hose bed. Cost around $18,000. Lettered as …

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Knightdale’s New Ladder

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Factory photo of Knightdale’s new and sharp-looking ladder. 2021 Pierce Enforcer Ascendant, 1500/500/107-foot. Third for the town[1], following a 1973 Ford/Pierce Telesqurt acquired in 2002, and a 1997 Pierce Quantum rear-mount added in 2009. Photo source.  [1] Two other aerials served the Knightdale Volunteer FD, back in its day, a 1991 E-One rear-mount 75-foot quint, …

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How Often Did Raleigh Rescue Transport Patients?

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February 2021 Updated posting with call totals for 1955, call data for 1975 and 1976, and other information. September 3, 2016 The Raleigh Emergency Rescue Squad was created in 1953. It was comprised of civilian volunteers and fire department drivers, and they operated equipment that was housed at the downtown fire station. (Their gear was …

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Raleigh Rescue Early History

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Notes on the early history of the Raleigh Emergency Rescue Squad. This is a placeholder posting which will be updated and expanded over time. Related: How Often Did Raleigh Rescue Transport Patients? See expanded version of this history and other information at https://legeros.com/ralwake/raleigh/history/rescue 1947 – First proposal for a Raleigh rescue squad.   1952 [?] – …

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Meet Raleigh’s New Firefighters – January 2021

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Meet Raleigh’s new (probationary) firefighters, who graduated on January 13, 2021, from Recruit Academy 45.  The twenty-seven week academy started in April 2020. Their training included a number of modifications due to COVID conditions, including condensing the program from 32 to 27 weeks. The graduation was also held outdoors, for the first-time in decades and …

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Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – Thursday, January 21, 2021

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January 23 This meeting is a must-listen for anyone interested in the nuts ‘n’ bolts of the county fire service, as members received the long-cooking recommendations for a county-wide standard of fire service response, for all departments serving unincorporated areas, e.g. all except Raleigh and RDU. Was two years in the making by the commission’s …

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Two Alarms on Navaho Drive

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Two alarms were struck on Tuesday, December 29, 2020, at 833 Navaho Drive. Dispatched 4:39 a.m. as vehicle fire for Engine 11. Upgraded with structure fire response for E9, E15, E16, S14, L2, L1, B1 added. Ladder 2 was first-arriving with fire showing in the rear of a two-story apartment building, garden-style, apartment building with …

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Charlotte Fire Department Rescue History

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Photo credits, left to right, top to bottom: Shane Nantz, Andrew Messer Collection, Andrew Messer, Mike Legeros, Wikipedia Commons, SVI Trucks. Introduction Research notes on the history Charlotte FD rescue services (and squad companies), based on a Facebook posting from December 2020. 1949 to 1979 1949 – Charlotte Life Saving Crew organized. [ More history goes …

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