Remembering the Raleigh Riots, April 1968

This month marks a grim anniversary–fifty years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. He was shot at a motel in Memphis and pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. EST.  Riots soon erupted across the state* and nation**. It was the greatest wave of social unrest in the United States …

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Fatal Fires in Raleigh – 1948 to 2018

Presenting the results of a recent research project: Fatal Fires in Raleigh, 1948-2018. Starting in 1948, and the deadliest fire in the city’s history. Five family members died after their apartment burned above the Carolina Country Club clubhouse in February 1948. Over 150 deaths, from incidents as limited by (a.) inside the city limits, or (b.) …

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Raleigh Adds Squads, Fifth Battalion, and More – February 5, 2012

This is a re-posting of a Legeros Blog Archives posting from February 5, 2012, that’s no longer available on the old site, due to technical problems. Big changes today in the Capital City, effective 0800 hours. Here’s take one of a summary of the rescue reconfiguration, the new battalion, the unit renumbering, and more. We’ll …

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Durham County Receives Results of Fire Service Study, 2014

This is a blog archives posting from February 5, 2014, and re-posted here as the original is unavailable due to technical issues. February 5 Reports this Herald-Sun story[1], Durham County Commissioners will vote next week to endorse (or not) the recommendations of the recently receive fire protection study. On Monday, the Interim County Manager provided a …

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North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Ceremony – May 6, 2017

This Saturday, May 6, 2017, the annual North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service will be conducted at Nash Square in downtown Raleigh. The event starts at 1:00 p.m. and will be preceded with a parade at 10:00 a.m., featuring honor guards, pipes and drums, and fire apparatus from across the state, from departments with one …

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Wake County Fire Service – Staffing & Deployment Study Presentation

Change log will go here, as this posting is edited with any corrections or clarifications. What does our county-funded fire service need, both now and going forward? That’s a question that Wake County Fire Services and the Wake County Fire Commission have been trying to answer for some years now. Strategic Planning Starts – 2013 …

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Matthew in Raleigh – Firefighters, Water Rescues, and Rescued Rescuers

Contents Part I – Hurricane Matthew Part II – Old Stage Road Part III – Rose Lane Part IV – Numbers Part V – Wake County Water Rescues Part VI – Sources Part I – Hurricane Matthew On Saturday, October 8, heavy rain and winds pelted Raleigh and Wake County as Hurricane Matthew passed along …

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Wake County Fire Departments Family Tree

Now for some color. Presenting a visual history of our fire departments. Take one. Still working on a few details. Couple are noted on the chart. Still tweaking the thing as well. Wish list for future features: First paid members, for each FD. First career members, for each FD. First extrication equipment, for each FD. …

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Forty Years (Almost) of Raleigh Fire Academies

For your Friday enjoyment, here’s a montage of Raleigh Fire Department recruit academy academy class photos from 1978 to 2016. Includes Academy 41, which graduated last night in downtown Raleigh. Congratulations! This one’s an incomplete collection, however. Some of the group didn’t either a formal or even informal photo. See the entire collection of class …

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