In December, we blogged about construction starting on Apex Public Safety 5, along with a few other AFD project plans. Located at 2050 Kelly Road, the 16,500 square-foot facility will house twelve firefighters, two paramedics, and the Community Services division of the police department. It’s planned for completion in late summer. Here’s a drawing of …
Continue reading ‘Drawing of Apex Public Safety Station 5’ »
Factory photo of Chapel Hill’s new Engine 31, 2016 Pierce Arrow XT pumper, 1500/500. See larger versions via Pierce on Flickr. This only the second Pierce for the college town, after a 2012 Pierce Arrow XT, 1500/500, which is Engine 33. Who has built the rest of their fire apparatus over the years and decades. …
As photographed by Lee Wilson, the Fuquay-Varina Fire Department received their new rescue on Tuesday. Their new Rescue 1 is a 2016 Spartan MetroStar. It replaces a 1995 Freightliner/S&S, which will be sold. See more photos from Lee. How many custom-cab rescues does that make in Wake County, these days? Here’s the list: Apex, Cary …
Have lately been researching local air crashes, and become increasingly curious about military aircraft incidents. (Have found a couple, including a B-17 crash in Garner in 1944.) Let’s get more exhaustive via this database of Air Force Accident Reports from the Aviation Archaeological Investigation & Research. They’ve indexed USAAF and USAF reports from 1918 to 1955, …
Continue reading ‘Local Air Force Aircraft Accidents, 1919 to 1954’ »
Now that’s a great title for a conference talk, isn’t? Saw the below statements in a Huffington Post piece on the subject of “universal basic income.” It imagines a visitor to our planet trying to make sense of how humans spend their time, and notably with regard to work, the pursuit of income, and advancements …
Continue reading ‘Fewer Fires, More Firefighters? Marketing Challenges in the Fire Service’ »
The Salisbury Fire Department last year re-activated their historic Old Station 2 at 1402 S. Main Street. The 1942 engine house was renovated and restored by firefighters, after being vacated by the city’s Landscaping and Parks and Recreation departments. Let’s chat with Salisbury Fire Chief Bob Parnell about the building (now named Station 5), its …
Continue reading ‘Salisbury Renovates, Reactivates Historic Fire Station’ »
[ Updated with more info. on the truck’s history. ] From a reader, this former Bay Leaf midi pumper was found in Erwin, TN. Former Unicio FD Engine 3, 1979 Chevrolet C-70/Pierce, 400/400. E0155. (Thanks Micah, for the specs!) Another reader (via our Facebook page) tells that the truck was bought by Fire Chief D. …
Continue reading ‘Updated – Former Bay Leaf Midi Pumper Found’ »
Would you believe an Oshkosh M-23 (rare civilian version of the legendary P-15) as a tanker for a Tennessee resort community? This story from the Times Free Press has been making the rounds. There’s a development called Jasper Highlands in Marion County, TN. The area was previously covered by the Foster Falls FD, but last …
Continue reading ‘Ex-Army ARFF Truck Turned Tanker for Tennessee Community’ »
It’s airport week at Blog Central! Time for some time travel… Raleigh-Durham International Airport has operated four Walter crash trucks in its day, the first being a 1959 Class 1500 that was acquired some time around 1970. Below is the closest we have to a posed photo of the thing. Click to enlarge: News and …
Continue reading ‘Looking Closely at the Airport’s 1959 Walter Crash Truck’ »
The Raleigh Fire Department has started producing short informational videos, in the style of the long-running (and now discontinued) FireWatch television series, which was broadcast on the local cable channel RTN. This clip is about the rebuilding of Fire Station 6. See this playlist for all videos to date. View on YouTube