North Carolina Black Fire Companies in 1905

Here’s a historical treat. Tabular data of the state’s black fire companies in 1905, in Concord, Durham, Edenton, Elizabeth City, Greenville, Henderson, Monroe, Oxford, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Salisbury, Statesville, Tarboro, Warrenton, Washington, Wilson, and Winston-Salem. Click to enlarge: These pages are from digitized conference proceedings of the North Carolina State Volunteer Firemen’s Association. They were …

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Responding to Fran – September 1996

As Hurricane Florence approaches, many in Raleigh are remembering Fran from 22 years ago. The storm struck the city with hurricane-force winds on Thursday night, September 5, 1996.  During a three-day period, the Raleigh Fire Department answered nearly 700 calls, with call types ranging from fires (46) and medical emergencies (142), to flooding (33) and trees …

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Wilmington-New Hanover County Fire Protection Report – 1971

Random historical artifact, by way of the New Hanover County Library’s North Carolina Room.  Technical report on the county (and city) fire protection. Includes a four-page response from the volunteer fire departments, clarifying and refuting some points. Includes some nifty details of the time, including a Wilmington FD org chart, and a list of all …

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Raleigh Fire Facility Updates – Summer 2018

July 28, 2018Summer update on Raleigh Fire Department facility plans. Station 12 is almost ready. Station 14 has started site preparation. Station 6 has resumed work. More renovations are coming. Station 30 is now Station 13. And more.  Click to enlarge: Facility Project Type Project Location Project Notes Sta 1 Replace TBD Programming complete. Site …

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Recap, Slides, Audio – Fairview Station Closure – Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – July 19, 2018

Edit history: Updated text references and file name of handout in the linked materials. They were provided by a concerned citizen, and not by the Fairview FD as originally noted. (July 21) July 20, 2018 Audio recording (by Legeros) plus presentation slides (Wake County, Garner FD) and handouts (Wake County, concerned citizen) are available here. …

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Durham City/County Fire Merger

July 1, 2018 Durham Fire Department, Expanded, In Service! See also this history chart. Cool things happened at 7:00 a.m. today. The city of Durham Fire Department activated two new stations (Page Road, Seaton Road), and a mess of new units and companies. Some are housed at temporary quarters, as Station 17 on Leesville Road …

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Long Beach, Yaupon Beach, Oak Island, Southport – History Notes

Last updated 7:00 a.m., July 25 This posting is undergoing updates, with clarifications on the coming current changes, and as additional historical perspectives are added. News out of Brunswick County. Yaupon Beach Fire Department is dissolving, and transferring their assets to Southport Fire Department. Members of YBFD are also joining SFD. [ Previously reported as a …

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Fraternity Fires in Chapel Hill – 1909 to 2001

This posting was originally posted on Facebook, on the Chapel Hill Fire Department Retirees & History page. Every part of a community is invariably impacted by fire. And as the clock is turned back, toward simpler times with fewer priorities on life safety and fire prevention, the numbers of destructive blazes invariably rise. Here’s a list …

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Chapel Hill Town Minutes – 1896 to 1922

Presenting a deep-dive into Chapel Hill FD history, via a transcription of town minutes excerpts [both exact and paraphrased]**, originally recorded in typewritten form. Date of original unknown. Likely compiling all references to fires and fire protection, from the first decades of the town’s governance. Photographed from a copy in the CHFD archives, with optical character …

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