North Carolina Firefighters to be Honored at National Fallen Firefighters Memorial – October 6, 2019

The 38th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service will be held in Emmitsburg, MD, on Sunday, October 6, 2019, to honor 92 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2018 and 27 firefighters who died in the line of duty in previous years. The North Carolina firefighters being honored are: Michael Gene Goodnight West …

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Wake Forest Plans Merger with Town

The Wake Forest Fire Department is planning a merger with the Town of Wake Forest, effective July 1, 2010. From this web page: Like many communities in North Carolina, the Town of Wake Forest is experiencing significant transition and growth in service demand, thereby increasing the challenges of providing core local government functions, including fire and …

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Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – September 19, 2019

September 22 The audio recording of the meeting has been posted. How to play the recording: 1. Navigate to http://www.wakegov.com/fire/commission 2. Click Fire Commission > Minutes & Agendas across the top row navigation options. 3. On the left side of the page, under Minutes, click 2019. 4. On the left side of the page, under Minutes, …

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Cary, Wake Forest Receive Tillers

Cary Receives First of Two Tillers On September 1, 2019, the Cary Fire Department received the first of two twin tillers, a 2019 Pierce Enforcer Ascendant 1500/200/107-foot. The second is finishing production. Also, a third tiller will be (or has been?) ordered for this fiscal year.  Photographer Lee Wilson was on hand, and has posted …

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Visual History of North Carolina Steam Fire Engines

Time for another chart! Here’s the visual history of the steam fire engines in North Carolina, beginning with their heyday in the 1860s and 1870s. They were labor savers that transformed the hand-powered fire service, although a few steamers were also hand-pulled during their early years. See the chart in JPG format (2.4M) or PDF …

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Miss Lillian Brown – Mascot of Greensboro’s Eagle Hose Company

From the Department of Gender Studies, here are a couple stories from the 1890s about the Greensboro Fire Department’s Eagle Hose Company’s “mascot,” Miss Lillian Brown. Plus a photograph that appeared in the 1896 proceedings of the North Carolina State Firemen’s Association. Newspapers copied from newspapers.com, via free access from the NC State Government & …

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Early Charlotte Fire Department History

Also found these last week, very early Charlotte news stories about their first fire engine and fire company. They’re dated between 1834 and 1845. Plus an 1856 story about a public meeting held for the purpose of organizing, or perhaps re-organizing, the fire department. Good breadcrumb trail for anyone interested in pursuing. From newspapers.com via …

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Wilmington Fire Department Organized – 1842

Found these last week. Newspaper article about an early iteration of the Wilmington Fire Department in 1842. Might be the original or first “formal” version of WFD. Plus an editorial from the year before, with detailed suggestions for same. Plus an account of the great 1840 fire, that they reference. From newspapers.com via free access …

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Was Charlotte’s 1866 Hand Engine Named… Crazy Hannah??

Here’s something interesting. Couple stories from 1874-75 suggesting that the Charlotte Fire Department’s famous 1866 Jeffers hand engine–see in recent years at special events statewide–was once named “Crazy Hannah.” The articles are attached below. See what you think. CFD reacquired the engine on March 28, 2012. It was originally purchased by the city in 1866, and …

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