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 …

Continue reading ‘Auxiliary Trucks During the Forties’ »

Oak View Fire Department History

Research notes on the history of the Oak View Fire Department in Guilford County, which protected the Oakview community just outside the old city limits of High Point. They were chartered in 1952, started operating in 1955/56, and merged with the city on January 1, 1960.  Newspaper Citations See some of these articles in this …

Continue reading ‘Oak View Fire Department History’ »

SAFRE 2021 – The 100 Year Report

One-hundred years and two weeks ago, the 34th annual convention of the North Carolina State Firefighter’s Association opened in Gastonia (pop. 12,871 in 1920). The three-day event was preceded by a reception for delegates and visiting tournament teams on Monday, August 22. The convention formally opened at 11:00 a.m. the following day, at the Gaston …

Continue reading ‘SAFRE 2021 – The 100 Year Report’ »

Raleigh Adds Shift Safety Officers

Big day in Raleigh yesterday. Safety Officer 14 was placed in service at 0800 hours on Saturday, July 17, 2021, the first shift-assigned incident safety officers (ISO) for the department.[1] Staffed by three seasoned captains, the unit is based at Station 14, and is automatically dispatched on structure fires, haz-mat calls, and technical rescue calls. …

Continue reading ‘Raleigh Adds Shift Safety Officers’ »

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 …

Continue reading ‘Charlotte in Yellow’ »

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 …

Continue reading ‘One Truck, Two Trucks, Yellow Trucks & More – Solving a Mystery at the Airport’ »

Remembering a Fallen Brother – Greensboro Captain Raymond Cockman, June 14, 1987

On Sunday, June 14, 1987, Greensboro Fire Department Captain Raymond J. Cockman, 49, suffered a fatal heart attack while on duty at Station 6, which was then located on Westover Terrace. He was Captain on Engine 6, and they had just returned from a call. It was 7:20 p.m. and they were getting ready to …

Continue reading ‘Remembering a Fallen Brother – Greensboro Captain Raymond Cockman, June 14, 1987’ »