Early Hand Engine Deliveries in North Carolina

This is a blog version of an earlier Facebook posting. Research alert. New findings about 1840s and 1850s hand engines in Edenton, Greenville, Greensboro (posted earlier), and Raleigh. The clippings (3 of 4) are from “Baltimore Builders of Fire Apparatus, 1823-1964” by the Fire Museum of Maryland, second edition, researched and written by Stephen Heaver, …

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Salem’s Circa 1850s Hand Engine

We’ve been solving a history mystery this month over in the private SPAAMFAA group on Facebook, in a posting about the origins of Salem’s surviving circa 1850’s hand engine. Here’s a photo from Old Salem Museum and Gardens, where the engine sits in storage. See more photos. Original Documentation We entered the fray with this …

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Cary to Install Idle Reduction Technology on Apparatus

On Thursday, March 10, 2022, the Cary Town Council voted unanimously to spend $324,000 to outfit nine of the town’s fire trucks with idle reduction technology.  Here’s the complete text of the meeting agenda action item, from this Town of Cary web page. Town of Cary Purchase of Fire Truck Idle Reduction Technology Speaker: Danna …

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Huntersville Fire History

Would you believe a cab-mounted hose basket? Here’s the coolest vintage truck pic that we’ve seen in a while. Was a 1936 Chevy truck conversions in Huntersville, NC, in Mecklenburg County. Below is a timeline of the department’s history and a few more photos. They’re from Brent Irvin, son of former Fire Chief Larry Irvin, …

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Early Power and Lighting Units

This content was previously published as a Facebook posting. Power and lighting units, what were the early ones in North Carolina? Below are some of the “big city” rigs. Shown left to right, top to bottom are: Charlotte – 1934-36 International/Charlotte Auto & Wagon Works. Added by June 1935, housed at Central Fire Station. Lights …

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First Rated Rural Water Supply – Nahunta FD, 1979

Note: See this Facebook posting for comments and discussion about this blog posting. This posting was updated on November 14, 2021 On August 1, 1979, the Nahunta Volunteer Fire Department in Wayne County became the first rural fire department in both North Carolina and the nation to receive a municipal fire insurance rating, because of …

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Auxiliary Trucks During the Forties

Contents Introduction Durham’s Auxiliary Trucks Wilmington’s Auxiliary Trucks Sources Introduction How many cities in North Carolina operated “auxiliary trucks” in the 1940s and later? Show are trucks from Wilmington, Raleigh, and Durham.  The top photo, from a photocopy, appears in Wilmington Fire Department 1897-1985. More  on their auxiliary trucks below. The middle photo is Raleigh’s 1948 …

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Charlotte in Yellow

This is a version of an earlier Facebook posting. Here’s view of a vintage Charlotte Seagrave 70th Anniversary Series pumper in yellow, along with other not-red units of the time. The 1966 model, nicknamed “the Chiquita Banana”, was one of two that were bought as a pair. Recounts retired Charlotte Battalion Chief Kenneth Shane Nantz, they …

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One Truck, Two Trucks, Yellow Trucks & More – Solving a Mystery at the Airport

June 29, 2021 And, finally, here are new old photos showing both CB3000 crash trucks at the CFR station at the same time. Proof positive of what’s explained below. Sid Meier photos, scanned from film prints. Sid Meier photos May 11, 2016 Let’s solve a mystery. Did the airport fire department have one or two …

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