On Monday, October 23, Engine 2 relocated to their newly renovated Raleigh fire station. The 1969 engine house underwent a $1.5 million overhaul that stripped the station down to its exterior walls. It’s the second in a series of planned major renovations that started with Station 5 in 2016. The Pecan Road fire station also …
Continue reading ‘New History Plaque for Renovated Fire Station 2’ »
Posted this over on Raleigh Firefighters United on Facebook a few months ago, after a retiree asked “hey, do you have history on labor-related things?” Compiled this, and posting here for now. Will later revise and/or expand, and add to my history pages: Research Documents The Hubert Altman Affair – Added September 2020 – PDF Historical …
Continue reading ‘Raleigh Fire Labor Actions, Activities – Research Notes’ »
Last week, the City of Raleigh revealed a new logo design, and to a wide range of reactions. Google for those. Back in the day, a pair of Raleigh rigs sported the city’s earlier logo, the city seal. Those were the 1950 Mack and the 1950 FWD, pictured below. How might a modern truck look …
Continue reading ‘The Old City Seal and The New City Logo’ »
The News & Observer this week has a neat story by Josh Shaffer[1] about Raleigh’s old Catholic Orphanage, the cemetery that was once on the grounds, and reconstructing the history of what happened to the graves. [1] Link to Internet Archive article: https://web.archive.org/web/20171108025700/http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/josh-shaffer/article183205001.html The article also references the Sunday, October 29, 1905 fire at a dormitory that …
Continue reading ‘Fire at the Catholic Orphanage – October 29, 1905’ »
November 9 update. Added a couple more details to the narrative, including corrected street address and notes about the programming that was interrupted only for an Internet live stream. Friday night saw an unusual incident in Raleigh, a working fire at a broadcast studio building. At 7:43 p.m., Engine 8 and Ladder 7 were dispatched …
The Beaufort Fire Department in Carteret County, my high school stomping grounds, has received a tiller! From Montgomery County, MD Future Hook and Ladder 54, a 1997 Seagrave Marauder (?), 100-foot. Delivered on October 13. Operated by Hillandale VFD in Montgomery County, MD. Former Truck 7-12, then a reserve for HVFD. Donated by local resident, …
Let’s look at some uses of the word “service” in the fire service, starting with “Service Company.” That’s a descriptor from the Insurance Services Office (ISO), used in their Fire Suppression Rating Schedule. Service companies operate service trucks (see below) and ISO awards points for specific equipment carried therein. See this page[1] of information. [1] …
Continue reading ‘About Words: Service, Service Trucks, Service Companies’ »
Cornelia “Jenny” Crabtree Tilley, 90, passed away in Raleigh last week. She was the longtime operator of the Bay Leaf forestry fire tower, first located at Six Forks Road, a half-mile north of “Six Forks” (1937-1968) and then moved to Howard Road, just west of Creedmoor Road (1968-present). Click to enlarge: She was one of …
Continue reading ‘Remembering Bay Leaf Fire Tower Operator Jenny Tilley’ »
By way of this thread in the Facebook group Fire & Rescue Apparatus 25 Years And Older, from Aaron Moore and originally photographed by someone at WFFFD, here are vintage rigs of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility fire department. They’ve been added to my department profile and Antares rocket explosion recap, which originated as a blog …
Continue reading ‘More Vintage Wallops Flight Facility Fire Apparatus’ »
Last month, Raleigh’s old steam fire engine received some work. A new gong was installed, and the boiler passed its annual state inspection. The 1905 American LaFrance Metropolitan steam engine was moved to Station 29, and “A” platoon personnel (shown below) assisted Steamer Committee members with its annual state-mandated boiler inspection. On July 29, a …
Continue reading ‘Raleigh’s Old Steamer Gets Gong, Passes Boiler Inspection’ »