Remembering the State Fair Fire Brigade

The Raleigh Fire Museum has added more vintage photos of the State Fair Fire Brigade to their Flickr site. See their photo album of State Fair fire history.  From the 1960s to 2005, the brigade provided on-site fire protection (and fellowship) during the State Fair. Members were primarily off-duty Raleigh firefighters. They lived on site, and …

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Twin Tillers Coming to Cary

The Cary Fire Department has placed an order for two, count ’em two, identical Pierce Enforcer Ascendant tractor-drawn aerial ladders, or tillers.  From this Atlantic Emergency Solutions Facebook post, the spec includes:  60″ cab  TAK-4 Independent Front Suspension Detroit DD13 525hp engine USSC Valor Seating HiViz LED scene lighting Harrison 6kW generator And needed the …

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Raleigh’s New Pierce Fire Apparatus

Four new pieces of Pierce fire apparatus have arrived or are arriving in Raleigh. 2018 Pierce Arrow XT aerial ladder, 107-foot. First pump-less ladder since 1986. Production complete, delivery soon. 2018 Pierce Arrow XT heavy rescue, walk-in body, two-person cab. First walk-in heavy rescue since 1953. Delivered August 24. Still getting tags, and equipment mounted.  …

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New Hanover County Fire History – Research Notes

Wrapped another squirrel chase! This one started as a question: what’s the origin story of New Hanover’s county fire department? How did a system of community (or “rural”) volunteer fire departments (Castle Hayne, Myrtle Grove, North Wilmington, etc.) evolve into a career, county-run department? It’s story told in two parts. First, in 1950, with the …

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Charlotte Fire Department Annual Reports – 1937, 1953

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 …

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Visual History of Raleigh-Durham Airport Fire Department

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. …

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Durham City/County Fire Merger

July 1, 2018 Durham Fire Department, Expanded, In Service! See also this history chart. 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 …

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Dispositions of Raleigh’s Retired Mini-Pumpers

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 …

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