Charlotte Fire Department Rescue History

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Photo credits, left to right, top to bottom: Shane Nantz, Andrew Messer Collection, Andrew Messer, Mike Legeros, Wikipedia Commons, SVI Trucks.

Introduction

Research notes on the history Charlotte FD rescue services (and squad companies), based on a Facebook posting from December 2020.

1949 to 1979

  • 1949 – Charlotte Life Saving Crew organized. [ More history goes here. Did they have technical rescue services from the get-go? If not, what year were those added? And when did they cease providing those services inside the city? ]
  • 1952 – City Council rejects Fire Chief’s request for appropriation for a “trained, equipped, life-saving squad.” Source: Charlotte Observer, Apr 18, 1958.   
  • 1958 – CFD chief’s cars are equipped with resuscitators, but are not authorized to operate outside the city. Source: Charlotte Observer, Apr 18, 1958.
  • 1959 – City Council awards bid on Jun 29, 1959, for fully-equipped Civil Defense rescue truck for CFD. Named Rescue 1, housed at Sta 1. 
  • 1974, circa – Civil Defense rescue truck moved from Sta 1 to Sta 9.
  • 1974 – Engine 20 disbanded and reorganized as Squad 1 at Sta 1. Was a manpower unit (flying squad) with three FFs and an Officer. Later increased to five members per day. First apparatus is GMC passenger van, ex-Training, that was originally red and painted yellow. Later was a Ford Econoline passenger van which started yellow, and was later painted red and white.
  • Squad 1 answered all working fires, multi-alarm fires, pin jobs, and rescue calls, plus all fire alarms in the downtown “high value” district. For pin jobs and rescue calls, the response was Squad 1 + Truck 7, below.
  • Original plan was to test one squad company, and if it work, have one in each District/Battalion. That never happened as the loss of Engine 61 and Engine 63 led to four-person staffing on ladders, instead. Source: CFD web history, OH.
  • 1974, circa – 1974 Ford/____ rescue truck, medium-duty/utility body delivered. Named Truck 7 at Station 1, and assigned a dedicated Engineer. Carried rescue tools and a cascade system. Later renamed Rescue 1. Source: OH.
  • 1974, circa – Rescue 1 at Sta 1 displaced by Truck 7, and moved to Sta 9. Source: OH.
  • 1976 – “Squad truck” described as a “special firefighter squad to fight fires anywhere in the city.” Source: Charlotte Observer, [need date].
  • 1977 – Civil Defense rescue truck still at Station 9. Source: OH.

1980 to 1999

  • 1983 – Squad 1 manpower expands from four to five, when the Battalion Chiefs each lost their drivers that year. Source: OH.
  • 1987/88 – Squad 2 activated at Sta 12, with five personnel, also with a van, and also serving as a manpower unit. The Squad 1 response area was split with Squad 2, which covered south Charlotte. Source: OH.
  • 1989 – Two 1988 Pierce Lance rescues delivered, Squad 1 (Sta 1) and Squad 2 (Sta 12). At Station 1, the new rescue replaced both the old Squad 1 (van) and Truck 7/Rescue 1 (rescue truck). Staffing was increased from five to six. At Station 12, the new rescue replaced the van, and staffing was also increased from five to six. Source: OH.
  • 1989/90 – Squad 2 relocated from Sta 12 to Sta 10, after Ladder 10 was moved to Sta 13, after Sta 25 opened. This put both squads effectively downtown, with no south Charlotte coverage. Squad 1 was thus moved to Sta 14, and later to Sta 3. Source: OH.
  • 1993 – Squad 2 (at Sta 10) renamed Squad 10. Source: OH.
  • 1993-1994 – Squad 1 (at Sta 14) renamed Squad 14. Source: OH.
  • Mid/Late 1990s – Squad 14 moved to Sta 3 and renamed Squad 3.
  • 1998 – Two 1999 Spartan/Salisbury rescues delivered, Rescue 3, Rescue 10. Source: CFDT.
  • 1998 – Squad 3, Squad 10 renamed Rescue 3, Rescue 10, upon delivery of the new trucks. Source: CFDT.

2000 – present

  • 200_ – USAR apparatus added. [ Need year for USAR team activation, NC Task Force activation, etc. ]
  • 2010 – Two 2009 Spartan rescues delivered, Rescue 3, Rescue 10. Source: CFDT.
  • 2019 – Two 2018 Spartan/SVI rescues delivered, Rescue 3, Rescue 10. Source: CFDT.
  • 2020, Oct 10 – Rescue 3 deactivated, Rescue 11 activated. Source: CFDT.

More Information

Sources

  • CFDT – charlottefdtrucks.com
  • OH – oral histories
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Cary Fire History Book

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Here’s a new addition to our digital history library. PDF version of new Cary Fire Department history book. BIG file, be prepared. About 49MB. Created this fall as a limited-edition hardcover, 140 pages. No additional copies are available, alas. View or download at https://legeros.com/history/library/departments.

Authored by Brian Oliver, with production and history help by Legeros. Superb compilation of Cary FD’s hundred-year history. Props to Lee Wilson in particular for his apparatus shots over the decades. They really helped record the truck history. < Plus a ton of other contributors. Too many to list. See acknowledgements in the front matter.

Production notes included as end sheet in the PDF file. (And where corrections will be tracked.) Digital version created using PNG scans of each page, with each PNG image reduced to 2200 pixels on long edge and resampled as 150 DPI. Resulting PDF file then converted to reduced-size version. Designed for web viewing. Results may vary if high-res printed.

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On the Subject of Searching Newspapers

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This posting was first posted on Facebook in October 2019.

Let’s log some thoughts about the searching of newspaper archives, for the collective benefit of current and future researchers.

Today we’re searching the Asheville Citizen Times archives, via newspapers.com, via their seven-day free trial. Which may get extended to a full, paid month, depending upon need. And the search subject is state firemen’s conventions.

You’ll recall that we’ve mentioned newspapers.com numerous times before, as it’s available via free access from the North Carolina State Government Library web site. Get a free library card from them and, boom, go.

Except… that newspapers.com resource is called North Carolina Historical Collection and does NOT include the Asheville Citizen Times. Similar to the absence of non-public domain issues (post-late 1920s) of the News & Observer, the Charlotte Observer, and the Greensboro News & Record, for example. Those require NewsBank subscriptions, by day, or week, or month.

Anyway, now that we’ve set-up our subscription, let’s commence searching. Access the site and drill down to the Asheville Citizen Times, under the “choose newspapers” option.

Now, what to search for? Let’s start with “firemen’s” and see where that leads. But that’s likely a bit broad. So we’ll try “firemen’s meeting” and, in a second search, “firemen’s convention.” (Does the site allow complex and/or searches, with multiple strings? Good question!)

And the default search results are “by relevance,” which means those articles that “score the highest” for that match. This works, except…

We’ll soon realize that there are two types of articles. Those about conventions OUTSIDE of Asheville, and those that took place in the city. Or in nearby locations, like Hendersonville, which was a one-time host.

So let’s further refine our search. First, consult a master list of conference locations, via Google, via Mike’s pages. From there, let’s go year-by-year, for those events that took place in Asheville.

Changing our search parameters, let’s search on the first one, “July 1892.” That will restrict searches to only those issues of the “Citizen Times” (then, just the Asheville Citizen) to that month. From there, let’s search on “firemen’s” alone. From there, let’s sort the results by oldest to newest. From there, let’s find the first mention of the coming convention.

By doing this whole-month search, we can see both the big/full stories—during the week of the event—and the smaller ones. Mentions of city preparations. List of the program. Maybe even some advertisements targeted at firemen.

For each found story, we will save a copy, by “printing” a JPEG version, which we’ll save to our local computer. The file name will have the paper name plus date, which will makes for terrible file sorting. Later, he will manually rename each file, and add YYYY-MM-DD to the beginning. Or cheat and use his program Flash Renamer.

After all this, we’ll do another search on “fireman’s” instead of “firemen’s.” Also one without the hyphen. And if I searching for other topics, the keywords could include “fire truck”, “fire engine”, “fire apparatus,” “fire horse”, “fire steamer,” “fire house”, “firehouse”, “fire station”, “fire company”, “fire fighter”, etc.

And there you have a few notes on the subject of searching.

And from there’ll, we will rinse and repeat with “colored firemen” and “colored firemen’s”, to find those even-more-rare stories about the state’s colored firemen’s association conventions. Those were also held for decades.

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Jacksonville Firehouses Past ‘n’ Present

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Research notes on Jacksonville (NC) firehouses, past and present.

  • Station – Mill Avenue at College Street – One-story structure – 1927 to 194_
  • Station – Court Street at corner of Old Bridge Street – Temporary quarters in building with other occupancies – 194_ to 194_
  • Station 1 – 119 Chaney Street – 194_ to 1956 (as JFD), 1956 to 2020 (as JVFD)
  • Station 1 – 100 Mildred Avenue – 1956 to 2005
  • Station 1 – 200 Marine Boulevard – 2014 to present
  • Station 2 – 820 Barn Street – 1963 to 2014
  • Station 2 – 1800 Gum Branch Road – 2014 to present
  • Station 3 – 190 Huff Drive – 198_ to present
  • Station 4 – 1999 to present – 1000 Firehouse Drive
  • Station 5 – 102 Westmont Road – 2010 to 2015

Sources

Sanborn Insurance Maps

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Wake County Fire Commission Virtual Meeting – Thursday, November 19, 2020

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The Wake County Fire Commission will hold a virtual version of its regular scheduled meeting on Thursday, November 19, 2020. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. 

The agenda and meeting documents are below. Information on submitting public comments and access for viewing/listening are posted on the Wake County Public Meetings Calendar. 

Agenda

  • Meeting Called to Order: Chairman Keith McGee
    • Invocation
    • Pledge of allegiance
    • Roll of Members Present
  • Items of Business
    • Approval of Agenda
    • Approval of September 17, 2020 Fire Commission Minutes
    • Municipal Station Funding Policy
    • Addendum to Staffing & Compensation Guidelines
  • Public Comments:
    • Comments emailed in from the public, as directed on the public advertisement on the County Meeting Calendar prior to noon on November 19, 2020. Any comments received will be emailed to the Fire Commission prior to the meeting. Depending on the number of comments received, the comments may be read by Interim Director Alford at this time.
  • Regular Agenda
    • Update & Presentation of the Long Range Plan Community Survey
  • Information Agenda
    • Fire Tax Financial Report
    • Standing Committee Updates
      • Administrative
      • Apparatus
      • Budget
      • Communications
      • Equipment
      • Facility
      • Training
      • Volunteer Recruitment & Retention Committee
    • Chair Report
    • Fire Services Report
  • Other Business
  • Adjournment – Next Meeting – January 21, 2021

View meeting documents.

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Northern Wake Tanker Overturns / History of Overturned Apparatus in Wake County

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Northern Wake Tanker Overturns

On Monday night, October 19, 2020, at about 9:20 p.m., Northern Wake Tanker 38 overturned in 6100 block of Ebenezer Church Road, while responding to a house fire on Dewees Court, about two miles south. Two firefighters were aboard, and were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. The 2013 International/KME, 750/2000, was responding from Station 3 on Norwood Road, as auto-aid to the working fire located in Western Wake’s first-due territory.

The fire was reported at about 9:02 p.m., dispatched as an automatic fire alarm. Units from Western Wake, Raleigh, Cary, Durham Highway, and Swift Creek responded, along with Wake County EMS and Cary EMS. Upon the emergency radio traffic from Tanker 38, Durham Highway units immediately responded, along with additional EMS units, Northern Wake Rescue 35, and Raleigh Rescue 1, which self-dispatched from Station 16 (they were cleared while en route).

See more pics by Legeros from the aftermath, about an hour later, plus daylight pics of the roadway.

Listen to audio of the house fire and apparatus accident response.

Historical Perspective

What’s the historical perspective of overturned fire apparatus in Wake County? Incidents have included:

Nov 14, 1952 – Raleigh Engine 6, operating reserve engine (1926 ALF) overturned at Brooks Avenue and Lewis Farm Road, while returning from call. Driver Vernon J. Smith was seriously injured, lost part of a leg, underwent dozens of operations over next four years, and died from injuries in 1956. Four others aboard also injured, with various degrees of injuries.

Jul 13, 1960 – Cary tractor-drawn tanker (1940s International/1954 CFD) overturned near Meredith College while responding to trash fire. Vernon Lee Thompson, 28, was killed, trapped under the cab that caught fire. Firefighter Billy Henderson was injured.

Apr 01, 1978 – Apex Engine (1963 Ford/ALF) overturned on Old Highway 1 while returning to town for more water from a fire, after swerving to avoid a car that pulled into incoming lane. Firefighter driving was ejected and nearly killed.

Nov 11, 1985 – Fairgrounds Tanker 197 (1982 Chevy/Atlas) overturned on Blue Ridge Road near the Art Museum, after swerving to avoid a car that made a u-turn. Driver was treated at Rex Hospital and released.

___ __, 1987 – Six Forks Unit 128 (1980 Ford/Atlas) tanker overturned in the parking lot of West Millbrook Middle School, during driver training. Was rebuilt and returned to service with reduced tank capacity, from 1500 to 1000 gallons.

Late 1980s/Early 1990s – New Hope Tanker 2 (1969 Chevy/198_ shop) – Overturned on Louisburg Road near Mitchell Mill Road, while responding to a woods fire along the railroad tracks on Millbrook Road.

Feb 25, 1990 – Raleigh Engine 5 (1986 EEI/Pemfab) overturned at Wilmington and Smithfield, after striking a car that ran red light. Apparatus turned onto its side. With secondary collision of second car struck by first car. Driver of apparatus–only firefighter aboard, as it was headed to the shop–and one civilian with minor injuries.

Dec 22, 2002 – Wake Forest Engine 63 (1996 E-One) overturned on Ligon Mill Road while responding to a fire alarm activation. It rolled over two and a half times. Three FFs were injured, with Thomas Howell sustaining the most serious injured, with broken left leg, left arm, and right wrist.

Dec 17, 2008 – Raleigh Engine 9 (2008 Pierce) overturned on St. Albans Drive just west of Hardimont Road, while responding to reported structure fire. The engine overturned on its side. None of the four firefighters aboard were injured.

Feb 28, 2009 – Stony Hill Pumper 264 (2005 Pierce) overturned on Purnell Road about a half-mile east of Camp Kanata Road while responding to a reported house fire. The engine overturned on its side. The three FFs were transported with minor injuries.

Jul 10, 2009 – Raleigh Ladder 4 (2004 Pierce tiller) overturned at Dawson and South streets, while responding to a reported house fire. Three of four FFs aboard were transported with minor injuries. The incident prompted the development of EVO program for all personnel and new safety mandates.

Photo credits include News & Observer, WRAL, and Legeros.

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Two Alarms on Stonehenge Drive

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See photos | Listen to fire audio | Listen to EMS audio

Two alarms were struck on Friday morning, October 16, at 2206 Stonehenge Drive. Dispatched 7:25 a.m. with working fire assignment dispatched while units were en route. 

Engine 18 first-arriving with heavy smoke and flames showing from the front of the building, from the first floor of a two-story, garden-style apartment building with 12 units and 12,154 square-feet. Arrival conditions also included two residents requiring rescue from a balcony. 

Arriving companies began evacuating residents, rescuing residents, and searching for trapped occupants. They also worked to find the seat of the fire, which took longer due to interior smoke conditions and its extension to the crawlspace being the building.

Structural conditions also subsequently deteriorated in the first-floor fire unit, with a sagging floor that necessitated keeping crews out of that section of the building.

Command requested a second alarm for manpower, which was dispatched at 7:45 a.m. Staging for second-alarm companies was Stonehenge Drive. Incident command was located in front and to the left side of the structure, with Battalion 4 and then Car 20 as command.

The fire was controlled at 8:57 a.m. Three or four residents were transported with smoke inhalation. From news reports, they were expected to be okay. There were no injuries to firefighters. 

Wake County EMS and Eastern Wake EMS units provided patient care, along with medical monitoring and rehab of personnel. Staging for the numerous EMS resources included both Stonehenge Drive and a parking lot across the street from the fire scene.

Due to the number of evacuated residents, the EMS response was upgraded to an EMS second alarm. Total dispatched resources were nine transport units, three Medic units, two District Chiefs, the Shift Supervisor, and the major operations support unit, Truck 1. 

As the incident occurred at the time of fire department shift change, some incoming on-duty personnel were brought to the scene to swap with outgoing off-duty members, after the fire was brought under control.

Run Card

  • 7:25 a.m. – First alarm
    Engine 18, 4, 16, 17, Ladder 1, 3, Rescue 1, Battalion 4, 5
  • 7:26 a.m. – Working fire
    Car 20, 402, Air 1
  • 7:45 a.m. – Second Alarm
    Engine 23, 15, 9, Ladder 6, Battalion 1, Car 2
  • Medical
    EMS 2, 11, 20, 23, 33, 41, 60, 61, 67
    Medic 93, 95, 96
    District 1, 9
    Chief 200
    Truck 1.

Photos

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Major Fire at Old Riley Hill School

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Updated October 9 with an incident description retrieved from Wake New Hope Fire Department Facebook posting.  

See Legeros photos | Watch drone video | Listen to radio traffic

Narrative by WNHFD

New Hope Car 1, Engine 282 second due arriving to 4 alarm school fire in Wendell

Sept 25th 2020- At 510pm, Raleigh-Wake County 911 dispatched E282 for working fire in a former school at 5901 Riley Hill Road, in Wendell’s primary district. Wendell Fire Department Engine 112 was first on scene, with New Hope Car 1 (Chief Price) right behind them, reporting heavy smoke and flames visible from a large H shaped single-story structure, and requested RW911 “Send me every tanker in the county.”

Engine 282 arrived next, taking position on the west side of the structure, while Wendell Engine 112 had taken position on the east side. Multiple lines were stretched from both engines, deck guns & portable master streams were deployed, and 5 drop tanks were set up, due to the are being without any nearby fire hydrants.

The water point was established by Rolesville Fire Department Pumper 152 at a hydrant at 1099 E Young St at Rolesville High School. Over 60,000 gallons of water were used, with every tanker making at least one shuttle run from the water point to the drop tanks.

Wake New Hope Fire Department Tankers 9, 10, & 11 responded as part of the tanker shuttle, and Engine 281 from New Hope Station 1 and Engine 284 assisted with suppression efforts. The fire would eventually escalated to an equivalent of a 4th alarm, before being marked under control after 90 minutes. Crews remained on scene for another 3 hours hitting hotspots and assisting WC1 with the investigation.

Narrative by Legeros

“Send me every tanker in the county.” That was New Hope Fire Chief Lee Price early into the major fire at old Riley Hill School in northeastern Wake County on Friday afternoon, September 25. Dispatched 5:11 p.m.

Heavy fire showing through the roof of a historic former school building at 5901 Riley Hill Road. Built in 1928, the “H”-shaped, single-story structure has 14,728 square-feet. Plus the adjacent 6,308 square-foot gymnasium building.

Photos by Charlie Honeycutt (top left) and Ray Fetchko (top right, bottom). 

Water-shuttle operations, with [five] drop-tanks in two locations, supplying a NHFD engine on the west side, and WFD E112 on the east side, boosting WFD E112 in rear corner of the structure. Deck gun(s) and portable monitor(s) used, plus numerous hand lines. Rolesville aerial deployed for observation. Controlled 6:49 p.m. Crews remained on scene for another three hours or so.

Fire departments on scene: Wake New Hope, Wendell, Hopkins, Zebulon, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Rolesville, Garner, Fairview, Northern Wake, Western Wake, Durham Highway, Raleigh, plus Pilot (Franklin), Bunn (Franklin), Archers Lodge (Johnston), Corinth Holders (Johnston). Plus Wake County EMS, Eastern Wake EMS. 

How many alarms, or alarm equivalents? I guess… two or three, plus the tanker requests. 

Mike Legeros photos

See more Legeros pics at https://legeros.smugmug.com/Fire-Photos/2020/2020-09-25-wfd-riley-hill-rd.

Diagram

Run Card

  • Durham Highway P162
  • Fairview E1
  • Garner E4, TA12
  • Hopkins C1, C2, E221, R22, TA227
  • Knightdale TA2
  • New Hope C1, E281, E282, E284, TA9, TA10, TA11
  • Northern Wake TA18, TA28
  • Raleigh Air 2
  • Rolesville L15, P152, TA157
  • Wendell C1, C2, E111, E112, E113, L11, TA11
  • Wake Forest E3, FE5, TA3, TA4
  • Western Wake TA198
  • Zebulon TA98
  • WC1

(Unsure if some units were diverted as coverage, or swapped.)

  • Archers Lodge FD
  • Corinth Holders FD
  • Pilot TA76
  • Bunn E23, TA22
     
  • EMS 1, 34, 62, 68
  • Medic 96
  • Dist 3, 6
  • Truck 1
  • Chief 600

Plus coverage including:

  • Durham Highway FD to New Hope Station 2
  • Cary L3, Morrisville L23 to Knightdale Station 2
  • Swift Creek FD to New Hope Station _
  • Ferrells FD to Pilot

Audio and Video

Facebook Posts

 

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Guliford College Fire Department History

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This blog post is based on a Facebook posting from May 2020, the content of which was moved here. 

Early years

  • 1941, July – Guilford College community members hold meeting about getting fire protection. They plan to petition the county for funds to buy a fire truck.
  • 1945, Aug – County commissioners approve a fire protection plan for Guilford College community.
  • 1946 – Fire department organized as Guilford College Community Volunteer Firemen’s Association, Inc.. They create a private corporation, with organization efforts starting circa April 1946.
  • First pumper is a 1941 Ford/Howe, purchased as war surplus, previously served Spartanburg, SC, military base. They also acquire a military surplus [?] 1750-gallon tanker.
  • Members purchased their own equipment and what passed for uniforms, often from the Sears catalog, the stories go. Department serves about 900 people [homes?].
  • 1946 – Station site acquired, 302 College Road at Savoy Lane. Purchased for $900.
  • 1947 – Station opened. Completed by November 1947. Members raised over $4,000 for the project, over several weeks ending in December 1946.
  • 1949 – GCCVFA incorporated.

Fifties and Sixties

  • 1958, May – Special election held to establish a fire protection district for GCFD, and with a fire tax with a rate of ten cents on every $100.
  • 1959, circa – Satellite station opened at 6017 Inman Road. Later numbered Guilford County Station 19. From tax records, property card records GCCVFA as owner starting 1959.
  • 1962, Apr – GCFD is responsible for fire protection at the airport, says the airport authority. This statement is made during a period of evaluating the airport’s firefighting capabilities. Eventually, the county takes responsibility and creates an airport FD that’s activated in 1965.
  • 1965 – Original pumper retired. Restored circa 1970 and used for fire prevention activities.
  • 1965 – Guilford College annexed by city, along with areas east to Muirs Chapel, and north along Westridge.
  • [ Sometime around this time, GCFD adds capacity for foam operations at the tank farm that’s in their district. More goes here. ]
  • 1969, circa – First [?] rescue truck added, 1969 Ford C600/Reading rescue.

Main Station Moved

  • 1970 – New station site acquired at 201 College Road. Ownership recorded as transferred to GCCVFA in 1970.
  • 1970, fall? – Station moved to 201 College Road. Numbered Guilford County Station 17. [When did the county numbering start?] Dedication reported in Nov-Dec 1970 issue of Hose & Nozzle. Between 400 and 500 people attend ceremony. Open house sponsored by GCFD Ladies Auxiliary. Costs $200,000.
  • 1971 – Old Station 17 site ownership recorded as transferred to private owner.
  • 1973 – Aerial apparatus added, first for any county FD. 1973 Ford C/Pierce Telesqurt, 1000/500/200/50-foot
  • 1982 – Dry-chemical unit added, 1982 International/Marion/Ansul Mangum 480, 200/1350#.
  • 1980s (early?) – GCFD plans for Station 39 on Market Street near the airport and tank farm, including designating the chemical truck as Chemical 39. The plans are abandoned after the city annexes that area.
  • 1980s – City annexations substantial areas of GCFD district, including south of the airport/Market/I-40, east of the airport to College Road, and north along College Road.

Another Move

  • 1987 – Station 17 on College Road and Station 19 on Inman Road both closed. GCFD moves to single location, new Station 19 at 6001 Old Oak Ridge Road on Sep 15, 1987. Costs $729,000.
  • 1988 – Station 17 site at 302 College Road site ownership recorded as transferred to City of Greensboro.
  • 1988 – Station 19 site at 6017 Inman Road site ownership recorded as transferred to airport authority. [ However, the tax records property card records owners as GCCVFA – 1959, then airport authority – 1985, then GCCVFA – 1985, then airport authority – 1988. ]
  • 1994, June – Department protects a “rapidly developing” 16 square-mile district. News Record, 6/4/94.
  • 1997/1998, annexation(s)
  • Nearly 10 square-miles north of airport, adding about 9,300 residents protected by GCFD. News Record, Feb 9, 1997.

Airport Expansion

  • 1998, summer – Airport offers department $1.2 million for their fire station. Department makes counter offer of $1.97 million. The authority backs off the discussion and hires an appraiser to estimate the value of the building and the four-acre site. Two prior appraisals placed the value at around $1.2M. The airport also asked a construction company for an estimate on the cost to rebuild the station on another site. The bid was $1.35 million. Winston-Salem Journal, Jan 20, 1999.
  • 1998, October – Study released by city, commissioned one year ago, to explore possibility of merging Guilford College, Colfax, and Pinecroft Sedgefield fire departments into the city. The report says it would save money, improve services, and remove duplication, if CFD and GCFD were merged with GFD. Among the savings: $300,000 per year paid to GCFD and CFD for protection of annexed areas. If the city annexes the GCFD area, a merger would save the city $3.15 million. The merger would also add a volunteer force to the city. However, PSFD is recommended to remain independent, because its large rural district is too expensive to cover. News-Record, 10/3/98.
  • 1999, Mar 23 – Airport authority votes to condemns fire station site, valuing the property at $1.2 million, which they had offered to GCFD, and which was the highest of three real-estate appraisals of the building. The action happens after months of intermittent negotiations, and the department’s belief that the station is worth $1.965 million. The vote sends the issue to Guilford Superior Court for mediation.
  • Buying the station, which has been approved by the FAA, has been on the airport’s FAA-master plan for several years. The airport is seeking to build a new runway as part of a proposed FedEx hub. Opponents of the project are asking the federal government to block the airport’s decision. They have urged GCFD to fight the condemnation proceedings vigorously, saying it’s unfair, because the airport is a public agency, pays no fire district tax, but accounts for 40-percent of GCFD’s runs.
  • Tentative plans for FedEx Hub call for the fire station to be demolished and replaced with a ramp for cargo plane parking. The FedEx project accelerated the airport’s efforts to buy the station, and as part of the initial agreement between FedEx and the airport, FedEx asked the airport to move aggressively on buying the fire station, because of the time it can take to relocate public-safety buildings. FedEx hoped to open its hub within four years.
  • Said Fire Chief David Douglas, they knew when the built the station 12 years that the airport would want to buy the property someday. News Record, Mar 24, 30, 1999.
  • 1999, Mar – GCFD has a mixture of career and volunteer members. They protect 12,000 people, and is the primarily source for structural protection at the airport. They are also seriously considering a merger with the city. News Record, Mar 30, 1999.

Plans with City

  • 2000 – Station 19 moved to 6405 Old Oak Ridge Road. New Facility built as joint venture with GCFD and city. By this time, the GCFD district had shrunk from 40 to 11 square miles, with much of the remaining territory consisting of the tax-exempt airport. And thus, GCFD had lost of its remaining fire tax revenue base.
  • 2000 – Old Station 19 site ownership recorded as transferred to airport authority.
  • 2001, April 16 – GCFD merged with City of Greensboro. County Station 19 became GFD Station 17. City takes ownership of all GCFD apparatus and facilities. GCFD employees become GFD employees. 
    Note: Alternate date May 7, 2001, when a contract was executed between GFD and GCFD, for the merger/consolidation to start. Source: http://guilford.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=368&meta_id=39565 
  • 2004 – Old Station 19 on Inman Road and old Station 19 on Old Oak Ridge Road demolished, for FedEx hub construction. Both sections of road also removed, and Old Oak Ridge Road is rerouted slightly north.

Apparatus

  • 1941 Ford/Howe pumper, 500/? – Restored circa 1970 – Disposed to Greensboro.
  • 1940s tanker, ex-military [?] – 1750 gallons
  • 1950s [?] Kaiser-Jeep brush truck
  • 1959 [?] Ford C/Howe pumper/pumper-tanker – Need details
  • 1960s Ford C/____ pumper/pumper-tanker – Need details
  • 1969 Ford C600/Reading rescue – Squad 19 – Disposed to Guilford County [correct?] as first haz-mat truck [correct?]
  • 1973 Ford C/Pierce Telesqurt, 1000/500/200/50-foot – Snorkel 17, then Snorkel 19, then Engine 192 – Sold to Knighdale Public Safety in Wake County.
  • 1974? Dodge/Pierce, 250/250 mini-pumper – [Unit] 197
  • 1976 – Ford C/Pierce pumper – Engine 171 – Sold to Rowen-Iredell FD
  • 1978 – Ford C/Pierce pumper, 1000/500 – Engine 122 – Disposed to Deep River FD.
  • 1982 International/Marion/Ansul Mangum 480, 200/1350# – Chemical 39 at Station 17 on College Road, then Chemical 19 at Station 19 on Old Oak Ridge Road – Disposed to Greensboro.
  • 1982 Pierce tanker – Need more details
  • 1983? Chevy Bonaventure passenger van – Rescue 19 – Sold to Summerfield FD
  • 1985 Pierce dash pumper, 1000/1250/100 – Tanker 194 – Disposed to Climax FD.
  • 1985 Pierce Dash pumper, 1000/1250/30 – Engine 191
  • 1990 Pierce Dash Pumper
  • 1990 Pierce Lance rescue – Disposed to Greensboro.
  • 1991 Duplex D-450/Grumman AerialCat tower, 1500/300/102-feet – Ladder 19 – Sold to Eden, NC
  • Alt. model year 1992
  • 1992? Ford/____ ambulance – Rescue 19 – Used for medical calls, but not equipped for patient transport – Sold to Stokesdale FD.
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Two Alarms on Midway West

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See Legeros photos | Listen to radio traffic

Two alarms were struck Sunday night at 8917 Midway West Road. Dispatched 7:39 p.m. One-story, abandoned modular office building, with approximately 6400 square-feet. Site (8.66 acres) owned by state since 2001, used by DOT for salt storage.

Engine 23 first-arriving, flames showing through roof. Interior attack with three+ hand lines, from Engine 23. Aerial to roof, from Ladder 9. Supply line from hydrant in cul de sac, boosted by Engine 24.

Extra lighting from Rescue 1, in cul de sac. Staging along long driveway, in cul de sac, along Midway West, and in a couple driveways that access the street. Durham Highway third-due, auto-aid.

Second alarm requested for manpower, dispatched ~8:04 p.m. Controlled 8:40 p.m. Wake EMS and Cary EMS with medical monitoring and rehab, in NE corner of parking lot, in front of building. No injuries, no occupants. Cause determined as intentional.

Units on scene included E23, E24, E29, E17, E18, E16, E4, L9, L6, L3, L1, R1, B4, B5, C3, C12 [?] (Safety Officer), DHFD P162, EMS5_, EMS 4_, D4. Run card included additional DHFD and EMS units. Some (three?) of the RFD second-alarm companies released 8:10-8:15 p.m. or abouts. 

First photo above about 8:03 p.m.

See more Legeros photos at https://legeros.smugmug.com/Fire-Photos/2020/2020-09-20-rfd-midway-west-dr 

Listen to radio traffic at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzl7AYT79VU 

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