The story’s been long-told that Fayetteville received a hand engine from Boston in 1832, in the year following the great fire of May 29, 1831. But get this, it was donated by the Boston Fire Department and bought with “voluntary subscription of its members.” From the Fayetteville Observer on May 22, 1832, the engine had …
Continue reading ‘Boston Buys Fire Engine For Fayetteville – 1832’ »
This is a blog version of a Facebook posting created on November 14, 2022. Holiday Island Fire Brigade, created in 1984 to protect the resort community in Perquimans County. The community was located some four miles outside of the nearby Bethel VFD district. Organized in July 1984, it protected about 250 residential structures and 106 …
This posting is an expanded version of an article that first appeared in the fall 2018 issue of the Raleigh Fire Department Newsletter. New Rescue, New Quarters The City of Raleigh Fire Department recently placed a new heavy rescue in service, a 2018 Pierce Arrow XT that was custom-designed by department members. The truck was …
Found in my files, Fire Engineering advertisement from 1930. Bought on eBay, probably. Pair of “Modern Mack Units” for Goldsboro. Love the footer, “We shall appreciate you mentioning Fire Engineering when writing advertisers.”
November 19Looking More Closely…Let’s revisit our recent postings about the June 16, 1960, apparatus accident that killed Cary firefighter Vernon Thompson. Super-close cropping of the News & Observer images gives clues on the Raleigh FD response to the incident. Observe what’s seen here. Top is one of the city’s four 1951/1953 ALF 700 pumpers (based …
Continue reading ‘Locating a Line of Duty Death – Cary, 1960’ »
Let’s update that posting and montage from February 2014, showing every last ladder truck operated by the Raleigh Fire Department. How many do you recognize? Here’s your cheat sheet. As for the montage, it’s a low-res quickie. With a pair of catalog images included, as a change. Don’t believe either is Raleigh’s. And one truck is …
Here’s a vintage picture that I don’t believe we’ve shared before. Truck 1 at Station 2 at Memorial Auditorium. That’s the original tiller with its new cab, a 1939 ALF cab towing a 1916 ALF trailer. Two-section, crank-operated, wooden aerial ladder. Aerial Ladder Truck 1 was originally cross-staffed with the service ladder truck, a 1922 …
Be advised. Effective today, October 27, the following city fire companies and units were moved: Ladder 2 from Sta 11 to Sta 15, riding the city’s fourth tiller, in service today Ladder 9 from Sta 29 to Sta 23 Battalion 4 from Sta 23 to Sta 18 Haz-Mat 2 from Sta 27 to Sta 29 …
Continue reading ‘Raleigh Company and Unit Moves, Effective October 27’ »
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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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 …