Forsyth County Fire Department History

This posting was last updated in July 2024, with added history of county rural fire protection before 1951. Introduction This posting originated as a Facebook posting in August 2020. Before 1951 – Part 1 In June 1945, county commissioners appointed George Sheek as Forsyth County Fire Chief. He was notably placed in charge of a …

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History Bits About Salem’s Old Town Hall and Fire Station

Morning history. This week we’re digging into the history of Winston-Salem’s engine houses, both older and newer. Found some neat notes about the old Station 2 at 301 S. Liberty Street, which everyone knows as the old Salem Town Hall. It became a Winston-Salem fire station when the cities merged in 1913. Learned that the …

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Bob Biggs, Mike Murray, and Restoring Fire Apparatus

In February 2014, Raleigh Fire Captain Nick Murray recounted the following stories of his father, retired Raleigh Fire Captain Mike Hurry and longtime Raleigh Fire Department friend Col. Bob Biggs, retired USAF, and their work restoring numerous antique fire trucks, including Raleigh’s 1926 American LaFrance pumper. Here’s the original blog archives posting: Jay Leno and …

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Wilmington’s Temporary Headquarters, 1954 to 1956

Notes on Wilmington’s temporary fire department headquarters at 3 South 2nd Street, just south of Market Street, a leased building that was occupied from 1954 to 1956 during the construction of a new Station 1 at the corner of 4th and Dock streets. The construction bid for the new Station 1 was awarded in September …

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Wilmington Fire Underwriters Reports – 1949, 1958

Research resource alert. Via New Hanover Public Library, pair of National Board of Fire Underwriters reports for Wilmington in 1949 and 1958. These are highly detailed accounts of the fire department, the fire alarm and water systems, and more. Read digital versions in this library at https://legeros.com/history/library/_nbfu And drop a line of you have other …

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Wilmington Standards of Cover

Found a fine reference document about all things related to the Wilmington Fire Department. Standards of Cover from September 2023. Generously informative document that includes a nice history section. There’s even a full fleet listing on page 120. Copied and stored here, read document (PDF). See also, Wilmington Fire History by Legeros. 

New Hanover County Ambulance and Rescue Services History

Presenting research notes on the history of ambulance and rescue services in New Hanover County. View chart – JPG | PDF See below for selected notes. See this Google Drive folder for 200+ articles, including those referenced below. 1950s 1957, Feb – Cape Fear Ambulance Service was under new management, prices reduced, read an advertisement. …

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Wilmington Fire Department Rescue Squad and Ambulance History

Research notes on the history of Wilmington Fire Department’s rescue squads and ambulances. See second blog posting for wider history of New Hanover County ambulance and rescue services.  See also, Wilmington Fire History by Legeros.  1969 WFD placed first rescue unit in service. [SN, 6/30/71] Was a utility-type truck and was not equipped for transport.   1971, …

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