Five-Hour Search For Downed Plane at Raleigh-Durham Airport, 1978

Found these plane crash photos from 1978 by Jim Thornton in the Herald-Sun photo collection at Wilson Library at UNC. Here’s the story behind them.  On Monday night, February 13, 1978, a twin-engine Aero Commander 600 approaching Raleigh-Durham Airport disappeared from radar at 8:00 p.m. Six souls were aboard. The plane apparently struck a tree …

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Fire School Program, 1955

For your Friday enjoyment, here’s a vintage program from the 27th Annual North Carolina Fire College and Pump School, held in May 1955 in Charlotte. The popular event was conducted by the then-named North Carolina State Firemen’s Association. It was held from 1929 to 2002 in various locations around the state. View a PDF version …

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Audio Recording from Commuter Plane Crash Response in Morrisville, 1994

Here’s a surprise historical find, newly discovered audio recording of the 911 call, the dispatch, and the first 13 minutes of radio traffic, of fire units responding to the commuter plane crash in Morrisville on December 13, 1994. Listen to the recording at www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwV4H5GVK_Y. It was contributed by David Ferrell, a Morrisville Fire Captain and …

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Renovations to Station 11 – December Update – Moving Day

This is an ongoing blog posting about the renovation of Fire Station 11.  See Legeros updates below. See also ongoing Legeros photos. And here’s the official project site from the city. Contents 12/17/19 – Moving Day 11/24/19 – Nearly Finished 9/27/19 – Doors Have Been Added 6/25/19 – Interior Work Has Started 5/29/19 – New Bays …

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Air Ambulance Crash in Oxford, 1949

This is a blog version of a pair of earlier Facebook postings on Legeros Fire Line. Here’s a photo and a news clipping about an early air ambulance crash in our area. Converted Cessna five-seat plane crashed near Oxford on August 25, 1949. Three aboard, the pilot and two nurses. Two died at the scene …

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Durham Rescue Trucks in 1974

For your Friday enjoyment, here’s a vintage picture of Durham’s early rescue trucks. Left is the city-county rescue squad’s second truck, a late 1960s GMC van procured after the original late 1950s Civil Defense rescue truck was wrecked in November 1966. Right is the squad’s third and newly repaired rescue truck, with a new Ford …

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After the Attack on Pearl Harbor

On December 10, 1941, three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a meeting was held at the State Capitol in Raleigh with 170 fire chiefs from around North Carolina. State Fire Marshal Sherwood Brockwell (pictured center) provided instruction on wartime fire protection. He had just graduated from a school conducted by the United States …

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