Farewell Open Houses at Chapel Hill Fire Station 2

The town of Chapel Hill is preparing to demolish Fire Station 2 on Hamilton Road. It will be rebuilt as part of a commercial development on the site. Engine 2 will move to temporary quarters in a modular home at 204 Finley Golf Course Road. They’ll be moving around the end of the month. Construction will …

Continue reading ‘Farewell Open Houses at Chapel Hill Fire Station 2’ »

Durham Adds Pair of Pumper-Tankers

The Durham Fire Department has taken delivery of two 2016 Sutphen Monarch pumper-tankers, 1500/1000. The new Engine 8 and Engine 15 were delivered on December 8.  The engines are the first pumper-tankers for the city, and will serve at stations on the edge of the city that respond to areas without fire hydrants. They answer calls with county …

Continue reading ‘Durham Adds Pair of Pumper-Tankers’ »

The Five Faces of Fire Station 2

This week, Engine 2 moved into temporary quarters at the old city radio/signals/sign shop on South Wilmington Street, in preparation for the renovation of their Pecan Street engine house. See this earlier blog post for information on the “down to the walls” rebuild. This makes the fifth location for Station 2 since the career fire department was …

Continue reading ‘The Five Faces of Fire Station 2’ »

New Pierce Aerial Ladder For Cary

The Cary Fire Department has ordered a new aerial ladder, a Pierce Enforcer 1500/300/105-foot rear-mount. Believe this is planned for a new ladder company in the area of Station 7 or Station 8. Click to enlarge: From this Facebook posting by Atlantic Emergency Solutions, the features include: Enforcer chassis with a 10” raised notched roof TAK-4 …

Continue reading ‘New Pierce Aerial Ladder For Cary’ »

Thousands Evacuated, Dozens of Homes Burned – Western NC Wildfires of April 1985

What have been the worst wildfires in our state’s history? Either in recent decades or way back when? Below is a “worst one” from 1985.  Let’s look back at another series of huge wildfires in western North Carolina. From the Raleigh Times on April 5, 1984, found while doing some local fire department research. List format, …

Continue reading ‘Thousands Evacuated, Dozens of Homes Burned – Western NC Wildfires of April 1985’ »

Party Rock Fire – Massive Mutual Aid – Photos, Notes, and More

Update – The fire was declared 100% contained as of December 1. The fire burned 7,142 acres. The cause remains under investigation. On Friday, November 11, 2016, fire departments around North Carolina were requested to help fight a wildfire in the western part of the state. A blaze had started six days earlier at Chimney …

Continue reading ‘Party Rock Fire – Massive Mutual Aid – Photos, Notes, and More’ »

Vintage Photo of Cleveland Community Engine

This was recently posted to the SPAAMFAA group on Facebook, 1956 (?) Chevrolet 6400 home-built pumper that served the Cleveland Community Fire Department in Rowan County, from 1975 to 1980. Dave Schlosser provided and/or took the picture. Bruce Anderson in the group notes the truck’s fascinating history, which we’ve bullet-ized here: Originally served Colmar, PA. …

Continue reading ‘Vintage Photo of Cleveland Community Engine’ »

Cleveland Orders Pierce Platform

The Cleveland Fire Department in Johnston County has ordered a 100-foot Pierce aerial platform. These drawings were posted on their Facebook page yesterday. The truck will be housed at Station 1, and will support aerial operations both in their district, and their mutual aid departments such as Clayton, Garner, 50-210, and Wilson Mills. Delivery is …

Continue reading ‘Cleveland Orders Pierce Platform’ »

Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – November 17, 2016

The next meeting of the Wake County Fire Commission is Thursday, November 17, at the Wake County EMS Training Facility, located in the basement of the Wake County Commons Building, 4011 Carya Drive in Raleigh.  The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. View the meeting documents. Here s the agenda: Meeting Called to Order: Chairman Lucius …

Continue reading ‘Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – November 17, 2016’ »

The Steer Steak House, Johnny’s Motor Lodge, and the Capital Inn

On July 28, 1965, the Steer Steak House at 1625 Louisburg Road burned. Or as the road was later named, North Boulevard, and even later named, Capital Boulevard. Fire was reported at 3:55 a.m. by a passing motorist. Crews battled the blaze in a heavy rainstorm. The one-story structure (plus basement) suffered extensive damage and …

Continue reading ‘The Steer Steak House, Johnny’s Motor Lodge, and the Capital Inn’ »