Archive of posts filed under the History category.

Wake County Civil Defense Siren Snapshot – September 1972

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Found a neat snapshot of the county Civil Defense siren system, from September 1972. Source is an unidentified newspaper article dated September 9, 1982. Likely the Fuquay-Varina Independent.  The story is about the Fuquay-Varina Rural Fire Department having recently purchased and installed a new ten-horsepower emergency warning siren. It was purchased with the aid of the …

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Johnston County Updates – New Rescue in Benson, New BC Truck in Clayton

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Couple updates from Johnston County. The Clayton Fire Department has placed this utility truck in service as a new Battalion Chief vehicle. It’s designated BC1. Photos from fire photographer Jason Thompson. Jason Thompson photos Meanwhile, the Benson Fire Department has placed a new Rescue 1 in service, with Raleigh’s old 1991 Simon-Duplex/E-One haz-mat truck. It …

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B-52 Bomber Crashes in Davidson County – March 30, 1961

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Found this while researching some other topics: the crash of a B-52 bomber near Denton, NC, in Davidson County on March 30, 1961. No nuclear weapons were aboard, but six of the eight crew members were killed. No one on the ground was injured. The crash followed the January 24, 1961, crash of a B-52 …

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Wake County Rescue Squad Crash Trucks

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Montage of Wake County rescue squad crash trucks. Missing some squads and some photos, alas. Makes, models, notes below. Pictures pulled from the History of EMS in Wake County Facebook page, and photo albums therein. Credits from here, there, and everywhere. Click to enlarge: Left to right, top to bottom: Apex #1 of 3 – …

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Vintage Photos of Haz-Mat Equipment – Raleigh, Cary

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From your Monday enjoyment, vintage photos of haz-mat equipment from Raleigh and Cary. This News & Observer photo of Raleigh’s haz-mat gear on October 24, 1984, as part of a demonstration of the city’s new haz-mat team. Comprised of personnel from Engine 2 and other fire stations, Haz-Mat 1 was placed in service on June …

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Vintage Ad – Join the Fuquay-Varina Rural FD

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Found in my files last week, while updating my Fuquay-Varina Fire Department history timeline. This advertisement appeared in one or more local newspapers. Undated, but probably published around the time of the rural fire department’s formation in 1954.  Here’s that sequence. 1925 – First fire department organized, likely named Fuquay Springs FD. 1938 – Re-organized, …

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New and Improved Raleigh Fire Department History Chart

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New this week from the Legeros History Labs, a new and improved Raleigh Fire Department history chart. Now with color, and expanded from 1912 to 1925.  View as JPG (1.6M) | View as PDF (1.6M)| See more charts Scroll down, to see the evolution of the design. Here’s the evolution of the design. : The chart is a two-page …

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Vintage Photo of Holly Springs Rural Fire Department

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Here’s a treat, an early photo of the Holly Springs Rural Fire Department, circa mid- or maybe late 1970s. (Trying to find a date on this one.) The picture was featured on the cover of a cookbook that they produced. It’s shown at the bottom of the posting. Left is their 1974 Ford/Bean pumper, 750/750, …

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Vintage Photos of Henderson High School Fire, 1968

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Passed along from our friends at the Henderson Fire Department is this Flickr album of vintage pictures of the Henderson High School fire on April 3, 1968. They were taken by Lyman McLean, a freelance photographer who worked for both the Henderson Daily Dispatch and the police department. The shots are from his personal collection, and now part …

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Wilmington Airport Fire Department History

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This posting was original created in January 2017 and has been updated in August 2025 to incorporate later content. Vintage Badge Found for sale on eBay, a vintage Wilmington airport fire department badge, back when the airport was called Bluethenthal Field. It was named for aviator Arthur Bluethenthal, the first person from Wilmington killed in …

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