Visual History of Rescue Squads and EMS Agencies in North Carolina
Presenting a timeline of all rescue and EMS agencies in North Carolina, created by ChatGPT and based on Legeros research notes / master list. View as JPG (16MB) | View as PDF
Archive of posts filed under the History category.
Relocating Raleigh Fire Station 23
Last week, Raleigh City Council approved via consent agenda the purchase of a site for relocating Fire Station 23. Pictured are excerpts from the meeting agenda packet. Source link is below. The approximately 2.95-acre site is located at 9308 Fairbanks Drive, and the purchase price is $2.24M. The site is 0.2 road miles from current …
Durham Fire Department – Line of Duty Deaths
Research notes on Durham Fire Department line of duty deaths. Andrew Johnathan Brokes Age: 24 | Rank: Firefighter Date of death: October 8, 2026 Brokes died at the scene of a commercial structure fire on Marly Drive, after a roof collapsed while he and other firefighters were conducting searches on the first floor. The building …
Continue reading ‘Durham Fire Department – Line of Duty Deaths’ »
Morehead City Line of Duty Death – May 1, 1951
Research notes on the May 1951 apparatus accident in Morehead City, NC, that killed one firefighter and injured two others, when a recently delivered pumper overturned while returning from pump testing. Carteret County News-Times – Friday, May 4, 1951 Photo caption: At the upper left, the Morehead City fire truck rests on its left side. …
Continue reading ‘Morehead City Line of Duty Death – May 1, 1951’ »
Wrightsboro Line of Duty Death – July 9, 1960
Found this this week from New Hanover County. Wrightsboro Fire Chief Ed Wright died in the line of duty on July 9, 1960. He suffered a cardiac event while directing operations at a fire in the Rock Hill community. Chief Wright, 58, was found slumped by a fire truck. He was pronounced dead on arrival …
Continue reading ‘Wrightsboro Line of Duty Death – July 9, 1960’ »
Maffitt Village Fire Department
This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from December 2019. Wilmington, 1945. What are we seeing here? Mark Stiller posted this picture to the group N.C. Old Photos and Things of Interest. [1] Almost looks like a maintenance truck, notably with the building labeled “Engineering Dept. Housing Authority.” But it’s a fire engine. …
Multi-Fatality Emergency Vehicle Accidents in North Carolina
On September 19, 2026, an apparatus accident in Granville County killed three civilians, when an SUV rear-ended a pumper at an accident scene on Interstate 85 near Oxford, NC. What’s the historical perspective on multi-fatality emergency vehicle accidents in North Carolina? Here’s take one of results: Summary Date Department / Vehicle County Fatalities Responders Civilians …
Continue reading ‘Multi-Fatality Emergency Vehicle Accidents in North Carolina’ »
Amtrak Hostage Situation in Raleigh – October 1982
Looking back at the three-day hostage situation that unfolded at Seaboard Station in downtown Raleigh starting on Friday, October 8, 1982. These pics originated from News and Observer and Raleigh Times photographers (and likely others) and were transmitted far and wide, via AP and UPI. Question for older timers, how far/close was the yellow tape …
Continue reading ‘Amtrak Hostage Situation in Raleigh – October 1982’ »
Selma Amtrak Train Derailment – May 16, 1994
This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from September 13, 2026. Looking back at the May 1994 derailment in Selma that killed a crew member and injured 121 people. Found a couple photos from newspaper coverage. Looking for others. On May 16, 1994, at 4:36 a.m., Amtrak Train 87 and CSX freight train …
Continue reading ‘Selma Amtrak Train Derailment – May 16, 1994’ »
Elm City Derailment and Haz-Mat – May 11, 1987
This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from September 14, 2026. Looking back at the May 11, 1987, derailment and haz-mat incident south of Elm City in Wilson County. At about 10:30 a.m., at least 27 cars of a CSX freight train derailed. Many were overturned and started leaking sulfuric acid. Some 2,800 …
Continue reading ‘Elm City Derailment and Haz-Mat – May 11, 1987’ »