North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Ceremony – May 10, 2025

On Saturday, May 10, 2025, the following names will be added to the North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Memorial at the annual ceremony in downtown Raleigh. See below for narratives and notes, about each member and how they died.   John Alexander Bowen  – Fayetteville  – 4/16/22 Nathan Clark Burgess  – Raleigh  – 11/12/23 Tony Ray Garrison …

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R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Building 256 – August 27, 1998

On August 27, 1998, a former tobacco factory complex in downtown Winston-Salem burned in a major fire that brought some 200 firefighters and most of the city fire department to the scene. It was battled for nearly seven hours, destroyed three large buildings, and closed a five-block area to traffic. Here are research notes on …

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Durham Public Safety Program – 1970 to 1985

Contents Introduction Short Version Long Version Sources Introduction Presenting a timeline of the Durham Public Safety Officer program, which combined fire and police duties from 1970 to 1986. Collected from dozens of news articles during that time period. See below for source materials, including a larger collection of 1,300+ newspaper articles about DFD going back …

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History of the Second Engine at Durham Station 2

Let’s look at the history of a second engine at Durham Station 2. In 1928, was surveyed by the National Board of Fire Underwriters. Among the findings was that the city needed more fire stations. It noted that while fire companies were closed grouped for protection of the main mercantile and manufacturing districts, additional engine …

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EMS Call Sign Changes

Belated posting. Adding here for the historical record. On September 20, 2024, Wake County EMS implemented changes to call signs as well as their staffing plan. Nine new transport units were added, to help with coverage during high-demand periods during the day as well as assisting during shift change. Three new shifts were created, to …

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Run Numbers 2024

Run numbers for Raleigh for 2024. Here they are and now including incident type totals and a quick historical comparison. Overall Summary Total incidents – 58,166 Total per-unit runs – 83,697 Historical Comparison   2024 2023 2022 Total Incidents 58,166 54,746 53,238 Total Per-Unit Runs 83,697 77,425 73,166 Here’s a PDF document with numbers from …

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Raleigh Fire Department Fleet Updates – December 2024

This is a version of a Facebook posting on December 13, 2024.  What’s up with Raleigh Fire Department fleet updates, you ask? Here’s an infographic that tells that story. They’re in the thick of a long-overdue upgrade of their pumpers, both frontline and reserve. Plus a new air truck and new ladders next year and …

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Charlotte South Park Fire After-Action Report

The Charlotte Fire Department has released an after-action report on the Liberty Row Fire (AKA South Park Fire) on May 18, 2023. The five-alarm commercial structure fire was one of the city’s largest in recent history.  Read the 96-page document (PDF)  Listen to radio traffic from the fire (YouTube)  Five alarms in Charlotte on May …

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Database of Emergency Equipment Inc. (EEI) Fire Apparatus

Here’s one we’ve been waiting for. Presenting a delivery list of over 330 rigs built by Emergency Equipment Incorporated (EEI) of Raleigh This list was compiled over many, many years by Jon Umdenstock of Durham. And he welcomes inputs and corrections, just send him an email. View the database. Learn more about EEI and its predecessors …

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