For your Sunday reading, annual reports of the Charlotte Fire Department for the calendar years 1937 and 1953. Lots of interesting information and great hand-drawn graphics. The 1953 report also includes hand-drawn pictures of each front-line apparatus! Scanned from bound copies at Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina, during a recent visit. Read …
Continue reading ‘Charlotte Fire Department Annual Reports – 1937, 1953’ »
For your holiday enjoyment, here’s another Legeros History Chart. Raleigh-Durham International Airport fire department. AKA, RDU CFR. View as JPG | View as PDF | See more charts Here’s the landing page. And only one typo spotted so far. The 1979 quick-response truck was a Chevy, not a Ford. Will be updated. Here’s the chart in paper form. Sometimes Mr. …
Continue reading ‘Visual History of Raleigh-Durham Airport Fire Department’ »
July 1, 2018 Durham Fire Department, Expanded, In Service! Cool things happened at 7:00 a.m. today. The city of Durham Fire Department activated two new stations (Page Road, Seaton Road), and a mess of new units and companies. Some are housed at temporary quarters, as Station 17 on Leesville Road is still a couple weeks …
Continue reading ‘Durham City/County Fire Merger – DFD Expanded, In Service!’ »
Raleigh received a pair of new mini-pumpers in February, a pair of 2017 Ford F-550/Knapheide/UPF/Foam Pro 250/250/10 units. Shown on left. They replaced a pair of 1986 Chevy brush trucks, which were retired. Shown on right. Along with a 2005 Ford F-550/Reading/Slagle, the city’s three mini-pumpers are assigned to and cross-staffed by Squad 7, Squad …
Continue reading ‘Dispositions of Raleigh’s Retired Mini-Pumpers’ »
“Believed to be the only ambulance as such owned by a volunteer fire department in North Carolina,” noted the Duplin Times on July 14, 1955. See article below Definitely one of the earliest. What other volunteer (only) departments were operating ambulances at that time? That’s the open question to readers, to accompany these neat pictures …
Continue reading ‘Kenansville Fire Department Starts Ambulance Service, 1955’ »
Mack CF pumpers were popular trucks in these parts. Chapel Hill had a 1980 model… that was almost a Seagrave. Here’s that story. After soliciting bids for a new pumping engine that year, the town awarded the contract to Seagrave for $112,832.35. The other bidders were Central Mack Sales in Raleigh, Howe Fire Apparatus, Jack Cocke …
Continue reading ‘Chapel Hill’s 1980 Mack… Was Almost a Seagrave’ »
Wait, what? See these town minutes* from February 16, 1963. As it turns out, Chapel Hill’s 1962** American LaFrance pumper was a gently used model, that had been serving at the “Greenville airbase” for about three months, while the airport awaited delivery of a crash truck. Bought for $20,500, versus what would cost $26,000 new. As was customary …
Continue reading ‘Chapel Hill Buys Ex-Airport Pumper, 1963’ »
In February 2018, the town of Zebulon received the results of a fire facilities and fleet study (pdf) conducted by Brooks Innovative Solutions, from Greensboro. It examined the fire department’s current infrastructure, historic and projected call volume and service now, and property and population development past ‘n’ present. And both in the municipal and rural fire …
Continue reading ‘Zebulon Fire Department Facility and Fleet Study’ »
Recent new deliveries from Rosenbauer for Wake County. Pics courtesy of C. W. Williams, via their Facebook page. New Tanker – Fuquay-Varina Wow! New custom-cab tanker for Fuquay-Varina Fire Department. First of a new tanker spec for Wake County. 2000 gallons, 500 GPM. Delivered but not in service yet. Wake Forest is/has also received one. New …
Continue reading ‘New Rosenbauer Deliveries for Wake County’ »
Factory photo of Cary’s new Engine 2. Another shorter wheelbase pumper, similar (near identical?) to last year’s Engine 5. It’s a 2018 Pierce Enforcer, 1500/500. And with another New York-style low hose bed. See larger versions.