Fire Truck Spotters Guide
New infographic, take one. Preemptive answer to social postings asking “why are there fire trucks here?” AKA, Mike’s spotter’s guide to the Raleigh Fire Department. Give it a test drive. See larger PDF version.
Archive of posts filed under the Apparatus category.
Master List of North Carolina Tillers
Here’s a master list of all motorized tractor-drawn aerial ladders (tillers) (plus one tiller rescue) past ‘n’ present ‘n’ future in North Carolina. View master list of tillers (PDF). List last updated June 2025. Big thanks to Andrew Messer, for his western/central NC apparatus data.
Beck Fire Trucks Built in Davidson County
Update July 18. 2024. Added picture of picture from Welcome FD, of the first two trucks Beck built for the department. This is a blog version of Legeros Fire Line Facebook postings from September 2022. Mike Legeros Photo We recently learned of another fire truck builder in North Carolina. Jacob C. “Jake” Beck in Davidson …
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Raleigh Rescue Boats, Past and Present
With the remnants of Hurricane Ian reaching Raleigh today, here’s a look at the city’s water rescue vehicles, past and present. Left to right, top to bottom: 1953 wooden rescue boats, originally operated by the Raleigh Emergency Rescue Squad at Station 1. And they’ve survived to this date, presently in storage. Lee Wilson photo, from …
Wilmington Add Three Squad Companies
On Monday, July 4, 2022, the Wilmington (NC) Fire Department activated three new squad companies, at Headquarters on Market street, Station 3 on Cinema Drive, and Station 8 on Eastwood Road. Each operates a 2022 Ford F-350/Knapheide utility truck, and is staffed with an officer and a Master Firefighter. The squad concept is part of …
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 …
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, …
Wilkinson Boulevard Fire Department – Early History
Wilkinson Boulevard was the first rural fire department in Mecklenburg County, and one of the first rural departments in North Carolina. Souvenir Booklet, 1948 In 1948, the Wilkinson Boulevard Fire Department of Mecklenburg County published a small souvenir booklet. It contained a history of the department, which was the first rural fire department in the …
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