Glen Lennox Fire Department in Chapel Hill

November 18, 2019 Found some more information, from this Durham Morning Herald story, December 28, 1950: ” Glen Lennox Residents Get New Fire Truck – Chapel Hill, Dec. 27 – Residents of the Glen Lennox housing project awoke Christmas morning to the music of a fire siren and looked out of their windows to view …

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Fairview Fire Starts First Responder – Carolina Rural Fireman, April 1982

Vintage article from a publication called Carolina Rural Fireman, in April 1982. Thanks to our friend Joseph Zalkin for finding in his archives. About the first county fire department First Responder program implemented by the Fairview Fire Department. Other early implementations included the City of Raleigh (1977, first field use; 1980, city-wide), Raleigh-Durham Airport (1978), …

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Vintage Film – A Will and a Way, 1975 – The Story of the NC EMS System

From his archives of retired Wake County EMS veteran Joseph Zalkin comes this 19-minute short film, A Will and a Way – The Story of Emergency Medical Services in North Carolina.  Produced by the North State Office of EMS with a grant from the North Carolina Association of Insurance Agents, it describes the evolution of the …

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Farewell Open Houses at Chapel Hill Fire Station 2

The town of Chapel Hill is preparing to demolish Fire Station 2 on Hamilton Road. It will be rebuilt as part of a commercial development on the site. Engine 2 will move to temporary quarters in a modular home at 204 Finley Golf Course Road. They’ll be moving around the end of the month. Construction will …

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The Five Faces of Fire Station 2

This week, Engine 2 moved into temporary quarters at the old city radio/signals/sign shop on South Wilmington Street, in preparation for the renovation of their Pecan Street engine house. See this earlier blog post for information on the “down to the walls” rebuild. This makes the fifth location for Station 2 since the career fire department was …

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Thousands Evacuated, Dozens of Homes Burned – Western NC Wildfires of April 1985

What have been the worst wildfires in our state’s history? Either in recent decades or way back when? Below is a “worst one” from 1985.  Let’s look back at another series of huge wildfires in western North Carolina. From the Raleigh Times on April 5, 1984, found while doing some local fire department research. List format, …

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The Steer Steak House, Johnny’s Motor Lodge, and the Capital Inn

On July 28, 1965, the Steer Steak House at 1625 Louisburg Road burned. Or as the road was later named, North Boulevard, and even later named, Capital Boulevard. Fire was reported at 3:55 a.m. by a passing motorist. Crews battled the blaze in a heavy rainstorm. The one-story structure (plus basement) suffered extensive damage and …

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Vintage Brochure – Fire House Museum of Old Salem

Bought this on eBay, an old brochure from the Fire House Museum of Old Salem, NC. That’s the original half of Winston-Salem, and where the state’s first fire engines are still displayed. Delivered in 1785, the two hand-pulled, hand-powered pumping engines were built one year after the town’s tavern burned. The metal parts were purchased …

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Vintage Photo of West Mecklenburg 1964 Ford Tanker… And Other Old Photos

Found for sale on eBay, a vintage photo scanned from a 35mm slide, of West Mecklenburg Fire Department’s old Tanker 3, which was a 1964 Ford F-700/Irvin’s Body Shop (!), 500/1000. Originally served Moore’s Chapel FD, which merged with Wilkinson Boulevard FD in 1984. The new entity was named West Mecklenburg FD. Click to enlarge: …

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