Raleigh Fire Department History – Charts and Data

Posted by Mike Legeros on 5 June 2024, 5:14 pm

Updated on June 1, 2015, with chart about hose cars and pumping engines delivered. Updated on January 9, 2025, with updated recruit academy length chart. Updated on June 5, 2024, with added chart comparing historical data on operations expansion. Updated on April 21, 2024, with added chart showing recruit class length. Updated on February 24, 2023, with additional charts showing fire station growth. Updated on January 11, 2023, with additional charts: extra-alarm fires and recruit graduating class sizes.

Random data play about the Raleigh Fire Department. These charts originally appeared as postings on Legeros Fire Line on Facebook. They were created using Excel.

Contents

Hose Cars and Pumping Engines – 1912 to 2025
Operations Expansion – 1995 to 2024
Growth Trends – Number of Stations
Extra-Alarm Fires
Counts of Companies
Population Growth vs. Response Growth
Most Popular Month for Opening New Fire Stations
Recruit Academy Starting Sizes
Recruit Academy Graduating Class Sizes
Recruit Academy Length

Hose Cars and Pumping Engines – 1912 to 2025

Operations Expansion – 1955 to 2024

Continue reading ‘Raleigh Fire Department History – Charts and Data’ »

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Remembering Bob Bartosz

Posted by Mike Legeros on 30 May 2024, 7:27 pm

This was originally posted on Facebook.

June 5, 2024, update. Arrangements for have been posted. Farewell will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 8, in Nashville, with an emergency services escort to begin the journey back to New Jersey. Burial services with fire department honors will be held at Monday in Cinnaminson, NJ. See obituary for details.

We’ve learned that veteran fire photographer Bob Bartosz passed away this week. He had made Nash County his home since 2009, relocating from the Camden-Philly area, where he had shot fires for decades. Obituary and arrangements are forthcoming.

Bob started as the official photographer for Camden County, NJ, in 1954, and was appointed Camden city’s official fire photographer in 1964. He was also an honorary CFD Battalion Chief. He was active in the Camden-Philly area for many decades. His photos were featured as Fire Engineering covers a number of times during those decades.

By trade he was a photographer for the Camden Courier-Post newspaper, where he worked from 1959 until he retired in 1982. He also served as a Pennsauken Township volunteer firefighter and a Delaware River Port Authority police officer in the 1960s.

Bob shot news and sports photos for the newspaper. He later worked for Fleer, taking pictures for baseball trading cards. He also won awards for both his news and fire photos, such a November 1969 photo of a Moratorium March in Washington D.C. that won four first-place awards at the city, state, and national level.

He retired from his official fire photographer roles in 2009, and he and his wife Pat relocated to Nash County, NC. He was soon taking pictures here, and was made official photographer for Rocky Mount and other area departments. He also submitted pictures and stories to firenews.net, firehouse.com, and other outlets.

Over the decades, Bob published two books of his work, “Black and White and Red All Over” (1971) and “Tin Helmets, Iron Men: Philadelphia Fires in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s” (2001). In 2016, he co-authored “Nash County Heroes 24/7” with Todd Joyner.

In November 2018, Bob received a Distinguished Service Award from Rocky Mount FD, for his outstanding field photography and event documentation for the department.
See comments for some news profiles of Bob, from back in the day.

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Oldest Rescue Squads in North Carolina + Master List

Posted by Mike Legeros on 30 May 2024, 6:50 am

Posting updated May 30, 2024, with banner graphic added. Database is also periodically updated with corrections.

Research notes on the oldest rescue squads in North Carolina. Originally compiled in September 2022 in this Facebook posting.

Source data in this Google spreadsheet copied from Excel master file.

Name	County	Status	Start	Stop
Winston-Salem Rescue Squad, Inc.	Forsyth	former	1937	2014
Davidson County Rescue Squad, Inc.	Davidson	active	1941	——
Elkin Emergency Rescue Squad, Inc.	Surry	active	1941	——
Beaufort Rescue Squad (v1)	Carteret	former	1942	TBD
Gaston Life Saving and First Aid Crew	Gaston	former	1948	2021
ADR [?] Rescue Squad	Columbus	former	1950	1963?
Red Cross Rescue Squad	Moore	former	1950	TBD
Rowan County Rescue Squad, Inc.	Rowan	active	1951	——
Mooresville Rescue Squad	Iredell	former	1952	2015
Pink Hill Rescue Squad	Lenoir/Duplin	former	1952	2004
Wake Forest Rescue Squad (v1)	Wake	former	1952	late 1950s?
Raleigh Emergency Rescue Squad, Inc., The	Wake	former	1953	1960s
Goldsboro Rescue Squad, Inc. / Goldsboro Rescue & EMS Inc. (1989)	Wayne	former	1953	TBD
Vance Life Saving and Rescue Squad, Inc., The / Vance County Rescue Squad	Vance	active	1953	——
Mount Holly Lifesaving Crew, Inc. / Mount Holly Life Saving and First Aid Crew, Inc.	Mecklenburg	former	1954	2001
Graham Rescue Unit, Inc. (renamed Alamance Co. Rescue in 1972)	Graham	former	1955	1972
Wilkes Rescue Squad, Inc.	Wilkes	active	1955	——
Lovelady Rescue Squad, Inc.	Caldwell	former	1956	2017
Roanoke Valley Rescue Squad, Inc., The	Halifax	active	1956	——
Pembroke Rescue Squad, Inc.	Robeson	active	1956	——
Robeson County Rescue Squad (renamed Lumberton RS)	Robeson	active	1956	——
Alexander Rescue Squad, Inc. / Alexander Rescue Squad and EMS (1990)	Alexander	active	1957	——
Chatham County Rescue Squad of Siler City, Inc.	Chatham	active	1957	——
Hendersonville VFW Rescue Squad / Hendersonville Rescue Squad, Inc. (renamed Henderson County RS)	Henderson	former	1957	1972
Johnston County Civil Defense Rescue Squad (renamed Smithfield RS)	Johnston	former	1957	1981?
Lincoln County Life Saving and First Aid Crew, Inc., The	Lincoln	former	1957	2014
Madison-Rockingham Rescue Squad, Inc.	Rockingham	active	1957	——
Anson Rescue Squad, Inc.	Anson	active	1958	——
Claremont Rescue Squad, Inc.	Catawba	active	1958	——
Kings Mountain Rescue / Kings Mountain Emergency Services, Inc. (1977?) / Kings Mountain Emergency Rescue Services, Inc. (1979)	Cleveland	former	1958	2022
Ahoskie Rescue Squad, Inc.	Hertford	former	1958	2011, by
Raeford Rescue Squad	Hoke	former	1958	TBD
Kenly Rescue Squad	Johnston	former	1958	TBD
Macon Search and Rescue Squadron, Inc. / Macon Search and Rescue Squad, Inc. (1969)	Macon	active	1958	——
Shelby Life Saving and Rescue Unit, Inc. / Shelby Rescue Squad, Inc (1993)	Cleveland	former	1959	2022
Trenton Emergency Rescue Squad, Inc. / Trenton EMS, Inc. (2005)	Jones	active	1959	——
McDowell County Rescue Squad, Inc. / McDowell County Rescue Squad & Ambulance, Inc. (1990)	McDowell	active	1959	——
North Mecklenburg Volunteer Rescue Squad, Inc.	Mecklenburg	former	1959	2017
Morehead City Rescue Squad	Carteret	former	1960	2000
Grover Rescue Squad, Inc.	Cleveland	former	1960	2012/13

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Defiance Fire Company No. 2 of Statesville

Posted by Mike Legeros on 21 May 2024, 7:02 am

In February, the City of Statesville posted a retrospective with new-old photos and information about Defiance Fire Company No. 2. They were an all-black volunteer fire company that was organized around 1894, and one of many in the state that formed in the mid- and late-19th century.[1]

[1] In 1905, black fire companies were serving in locations including Princeville, Greenville, Henderson, Warrenton, Washington, Raleigh, Elizabeth City, Salisbury, Charlotte, Monroe, Concord, Rocky Mount, Oxford, Durham, Tarboro, Edenton, Statesville, and Winston.

Defiance Fire Company No. 2 started with just 15 members and included these officers elected in May 1894: J.P. Murphy as President, Fred F. Chambers as 1st Director, S. G. Grey as 2nd Director, George W. Steward as 3rd Director, R. D. Baily as Secretary, J. A. Richardson as Treasurer, and J. W. Gaither as Janitor.

By 1905, the company had a roster of 125 volunteer members[2]. Reported the statistician of the North Carolina State Volunteer Firemen’s Association that year[3], they operated a hose reel with 500-feet of hose. The company was led by Chief C. Carmer.

[2] The number of 125 volunteers was cited in a Statesville Sanborn Fire Insurance map of 1905. Was that perhaps a typo? The aforementioned statistician’s report of the same year cites 25 volunteers, with statewide company membership totals ranging from the 10s to the 50s.
[3] See this blog post for source document.

The last of their members retired in 1958, some 45 years after they joined. Melvin Feimster and J. Quincy Davidson were featured in the Statesville Record and Landmark on August 2, 1958. See comments the clipping. The story was reprinted in Hose & Nozzle magazine, see the story.

Will dig a bit more into the history and update the above Early Black Firefighters in North Carolina page accordingly. Great research by Captain Matt Thompson and Dr. Steve Hill, as cited in the city’s history posting.

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New Statesville Station 1

Posted by Mike Legeros on 21 May 2024, 6:37 am

As announced on Facebook by the Statesville Fire Department, new Station 1 was activated at 12:00 p.m. on Monday, May 20, 2024, with Engine 1, Ladder 1, and Battalion 1 in service in their new quarters on Wilson W. Lee Boulevard. It replaced a 71-year old building at 316 S. Meeting Street, located 0.8 road miles north of the new facility.

Ground was broken on the $14 million fire station on November 30, 2022. The two-story, 26,000 square-foot facility has four pull-through apparatus bays, plus two mezzanines for additional storage and training needs.

Upstairs space has 11 bunk rooms with 33 beds, showers, a large capacity kitchen, training, and fitness areas. Downstairs space has 14 large offices, a conference room, a break room, and large logistical storage rooms. The downstairs will house SFD admin and logistical functions.

The design-build team was Edifice, LLC, and ADW Architects.

The facility is named the William “Woody” Woodard Memorial Fire Station, for the decorated U.S. Air Force veteran, former Statesville Housing Authority manager, and long-time president of the Statesville Branch NAACP. Woodard died on May 21, 2013, at age 77, after a motor-vehicle accident.

The station relocation project started in 2017, to help optimate service coverage and improve response times. City Council approved the site purchase and development in October 2020. The acquisition of the property was completed by February 2021.

The grand opening and ribbon cutting was held on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

The former fire station on South Meeting Street was dedicated on April 24, 1953. Designed by architect Tom H. Hutchins, the $91,000 building accommodated “up to eight standard size pumpers.” It also temporarily housed the police department. It’s shown bottom right in a Statesville Record and Landmark clipping from July 21, 1961.

Sources

They include:

https://edificeinc.com/markets/statesville-fire-station-no-1

https://www.iredellfreenews.com/news-features/2024/city-of-statesville-celebrates-completion-of-william-woody-woodard-memorial-fire-station-photos

https://www.statesvillenc.net/2024/05/15/12552/city-of-statesville-celebrates-grand-opening-and-ribbon-cutting-for-new-fire-station-1-the-woody-woodard-memorial-fire-station

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Raleigh’s New Rehab 12

Posted by Mike Legeros on 30 April 2024, 8:33 pm

The Raleigh Fire Department recently placed a new special unit in service. Rehab 12 is a 2023 Ford/Morgan Olson step van, with upfit by a local vendor. Features include interior food serving areas, exterior serving window, exterior handwashing station, retractable awnings, and rear bathroom.

It’s housed at Station 12 and cross-staffed by crews on Engine 12 and Ladder 12. The east side big house now houses five units, E12, L12, BC2, DC1, and Rehab 12.

Rehab 12 can also be used for non-emergency events and functions, such as off-site recruit training, where rehab and sanitation facilities are not available.

See more photos, including interior views.

Mike Legeros photos

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Two Alarms at Sir Walter Apartments

Posted by Mike Legeros on 29 April 2024, 7:44 pm

Screengrabs form ABC11 footage.

Two alarms were struck in downtown Raleigh on Monday morning, April 29, 2024. Dispatched ~1:40 a.m. for 400 Fayetteville Street. Sir Walter Apartments, senior living facility, ten-story high-rise. Built 1923[1].

Engine 13 first-arriving with nothing showing. Smoke found on seventh floor. Heavy smoke, zero visibility found in fire apartment. Quickly controlled, contained to single apartment. One occupant rescued from apartment, transported by Wake County EMS. Battalion 2 with command, later transferred to Division Chief 1.

Engine 1 added, after clearing another call. Squad 7 and Ladder 20 dispatched, for fire alarm at same location. Second alarm dispatched ~02:22 a.m. Added two engines and two ladders, staged at Fayetteville and Lenior streets. New Rehab 12 also responded (first call?). Plus a large, staggered response by EMS. Later units staging at EMS Station 1 on Davie Street, about a block away. Run card below.

Photos from Raleigh Downtown on Facebook

Multi-hour operations for ventilation (smoke on multiple floors) and assisting residents who were evacuated. Plus subsequent air monitoring. Plus firefighter rehab needs, that included EMS personnel to fourth floor, for rehab station.

Fayetteville Street was closed for several blocks. Most residents had been allowed back into building by 4:00 a.m. From PulsePoint, the following units were still on scene at 6:13 a.m.: E13, INV1, EMS72, EMS83, M96, D5, D7.

Listen to radio traffic.

[1] Oldest surviving hotel in Raleigh.

Run Card

First-alarm at ~0140
E13 E2 E5 E3 L1 L6 R16 B2 B3 ISO14
Added at ~0152
E1 (cleared from fire alarm at 509 Glenwood)
Added at ~0155
Sq7 L20 (commercial fire alarm activation)
Working fire at ~0157
A10 B5 INV1 DC1
Second-alarm at ~0222
E6 E8 L12 L14 (staging Fayetteville and Lenoir)
Also:
Safety Chief
Rehab 1 (staffed by Engine 8 personnel)
Medical (staggered)
EMS13, EMS14, D5 EMS72, EMS87, EMS84, D7, D2 EMS71 EMS73 EMS83, EMS12, D4 (transporting rehab supplies from EM warehouse)

Move Ups

They included these relocations:

E6 > Sta 1
L12 > Sta 2
E11 > Sta 7
E12 > Sta 2
L4 > Sta 1

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North Carolina Firefighter Fatalities During Interior Operations

Posted by Mike Legeros on 14 April 2024, 6:15 pm

On March 29, 2024, Lexington Fire Department Captain Ronnie B. Metcalf, 54, died after being injured during an interior fire attack at a house fire on March 26. What’s the historical perspective of other firefighters in North Carolina, who were killed during or from injuries sustained during interior operations? That list includes the following:

Theodore W. Stoner
7/21/1925
High Point

Captain Stoner died of burn injuries received while fighting a fire at Pickett Cotton Mill on the night of July 17, 1925. Stone had led several firefighters into a pit to extinguish a small fire in a bale of cotton. The fire spread suddenly and the cotton became “a mass of flames.” The other firefighters escaped without injuries, but Stoner was badly burned before being rescued. He suffered burns about the face and body, and died at High Point Hospital four days later. On the day of the fire, Stoner had just returned from the state firemen’s convention in Asheville, arriving about 8:00 p.m. He had been home for less than an hour when the fire bell sounded. Stoner was a volunteer member who was employed as a wholesale grocery salesman.

Sources: Hickory Daily Record, 7/18/25; High Point Enterprise, 7/22/25, 7/23/25; Charlotte Observer, 7/22/25; Raleigh News and Observer, 7/19/25, 7/23/25

Gilbert W. Kimball
2/11/1934
Winston-Salem

Lieutenant Kimball died of injuries sustained in a roof collapse on the night of February 10, 1934, while fighting a fire in the garage and servants quarters at a home on Country Club and Bitting roads, at the residence of former state Senator W. M. Hendren. While inside the structure, Company 6 members Kimball and firefighter Franklin Griffith became trapped after the heavy rafters of the roof collapsed. Both were rescued. Griffith suffered injuries to his back and hips. Kimball died the following day at North Carolina Baptist Hospital. The cause of death was recorded as pneumonia following internal injuries. Kimball had been a member of WSFD for 12 years.

Sources: COD, Greensboro Daily News, 2/13/34; Winston-Salem Journal, 2/9/34, 2/13/34, 2/14/34

Floyd A. Jackson Jr.
11/26/1950
Hendersonville Continue reading ‘North Carolina Firefighter Fatalities During Interior Operations’ »

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Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – April 11, 2024

Posted by Mike Legeros on 10 April 2024, 8:40 pm

The Wake County Fire Commission meets again on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 6:00 p.m., at the Wake County Emergency Services Education Center, 221 S. Rogers Lane, Raleigh, NC 27610.

View agenda and meeting documents.