Here’s another new interactive Google map from the Legeros History Labs, former firehouses of Raleigh and Wake County.
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Map of Guilford County Former Firehouses
New from the Legeros History Labs, interactive Google My Maps of former firehouse locations in Guilford County. Linked from a new page of Guilford County fire history research notes.
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Raleigh Fire Department Opens New Training Annex
On May 11, 2020, the City of Raleigh Fire Department opened a training annex at Fire Station 26 on Barwell Road. They’ve occupied the former emergency communications training center and back-up facility, which was a separate section of the fire station building. Station 26 opened in June 2003. The Raleigh/Wake Emergency Communications Center vacated the space in the fall of 2016.
The fire department’s Training Division has relocated the offices and storage areas for the EMS and Haz-Mat programs, which were previously housed in the classroom building at the Keeter Training Center on Keeter Center Drive in South Raleigh.
The new space is larger– 4,062 square-feet, from tax records–and adds a meeting room, more office space, and improved storage areas for the programs, notably the EMS equipment and supplies that are used by firefighters on emergency medical calls. One vehicle will also be parked there, for EMS logistics.
By moving these programs to a second location, space has been made available at the training center to accommodate future full-time instructions. That need was recently identified in a fire department staffing study, and the proposed budget for FY21 recommends the creation of two positions, to serve as full-time recruit academy and continuing education instructors.
Though their program offices have been relocated, all EMS and haz-mat training will continue to take place at the Keeter Training Center.
See photos below by Mike Legeros (exterior) and courtesy Raleigh Fire Department (interior).
Fun Fact #1 – This isn’t the first training annex. Old Station 4 on Wake Forest Road served as additional training space, as well as city office space, from 1993 to 1997. Among other functions, it housed the office of the haz-mat program manager, Captain S. T. Eudy.
Fun Fact #2 – Long before there was a formal training division, then-named Memorial Auditorium served as a training facility. It housed both a basement fire station and a rear training tower. That is, the rear of the 1932 building was designed to function as a drill tower. It served as a training location until a dedicated drill tower was erected in 1954, at the current location of the Keeter Training Center.
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Vintage Durham City Tanker
Found another old-new photo of a vintage Durham tanker, this one the first “city tanker” on the roster. 1986 GMC Sierra/EEI, 450/1250. Shop #64204. Later served Turbeville, VA. Scanned from film print by Jonathan Umbdenstock, from his archives. Original photographer TBD.
See prior posting about county tanker that also served at Station 1.
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Oak Grove Fire Department of Guilford County
This content was first posted on Facebook. See that posting for reader comments.
How about some Guilford County fire history? Presenting the Oak Grove Fire Department, that operated from 1944 to 1957.
They were organized in 1944, and were the first “rural” FD in the county, pre-dating Guilford College FD (1946). However, OGFD was organized after Bessemer FD (1942), which was a suburban department, I guess we’d say.
From this Greensboro Daily News story on December 9, 1946, they completed their fire station in 1946, a cinder-block building on Clements (Clemmons) Street, just off South Elm, and “behind the Carter Fabrics plant.”[1]
(Article continued at bottom of this posting.)
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New Greensboro Stations
Note: This content was first posted on Facebook. See that posting for extensive reader comments.
Greensboro is erecting two new fire stations. Above are street-side drawings of new Station 56 (top) and new Station 7 (below). See more plus floor plan and site drawings at https://www.legeros.com/blog/docs/gfd.
Station 7 on Gatewood Avenue is getting an $8M replacement, with a two-story, five-bay [!] facility that will also share space with Guilford County EMS. The 1958 structure was closed last week, and will be demolished beginning in June. Engine 7 made their last run there on Wednesday, May 20. See photos from inside the now-closed station.
Temporary quarters for Engine 7 opened on May 21, at 715 Elwell Avenue, while Ladder 7 has been relocated to Station 63 at 4306 Burlington Road, for the duration of the project.
Mike Legeros photo
And, yes, that’s five count ’em five bay doors in the front of new Station 7. Two are double-deep, and three are single-vehicle bays, one for a Battalion Chief and two for ambulances. See drawings at https://www.legeros.com/blog/docs/gfd.
Or see more pics of the temp station.
The original Station 7 opened in 1924 at Church Street and Bessemer Avenue. It was closed in 1957 and became the home of the local Civil Defense office. New Station 7 opened in 1958, and cost a whopping… $80,000.
Mike Legeros photo
Station 56 on Franklin Boulevard is also being replaced. Temporary quarters are being erected behind the station, which will utilize an existing house and second vehicle storage building.
Once completed, the current station will be demolished and replaced with a new, two-bay building.
The fire station was built in 1960 for the Fire District 14 Fire Department. They merged with Greensboro 2005, with career members, equipment, and the station transferred to the city.
Big thanks to our friends in Greensboro for sharing. See more plus floor plan and site drawings at https://www.legeros.com/blog/docs/gfd.
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Vintage Durham County Tanker
Here’s another vintage image. Rare photo from Jonathan Umbdenstock of Durham County’s original tanker, a 1966 International with a body built in Raleigh. Odds favor either Alexander Welding or Atlas Steel. Scanned from film print.
Had a capacity of 1,200 gallons with a gas-powered pump in the rear, at least at the time of delivery. Housed at Station 1, and operated in conjunction with the “county engine.” Was disposed to Bahama FD around/after April 1, 1985.
And wasn’t the only tanker on the Durham FD roster. They soon acquired a 1986 GMC/EEI 250/1250. See this later posting about that truck.
Or see this posting on Facebook about the other Durham County trucks.
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Vintage Wilmington Brush Truck
For your Thursday enjoyment, here’s a new-old photo of a Wilmington brush truck, 1967 Kaiser Jeep. No specs. Scanned from 35mm slide, undated. Photo credit TBD. She’s a beauty!
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Wake County Fire Commission Virtual Meeting – Thursday, May 21, 2020
The Wake County Fire Commission will hold a virtual version of its regular scheduled meeting on Thursday, May 21, 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
- Appointment of Chair for Wellness Committee
- Accept Wake County’s Plan to Contract with Town of Wake Forest to cover Wakette District
- Accept Wake County’s Plan to Contract with Town of Knightdale to cover Alert District
- Public Comments:
- Comments emailed in from the public, as directed on the public advertisement on the County Meeting Calendar prior to noon on May 21, 2020, will be emailed to the Fire Commission prior to the meeting. Depending on the number of comments received, the comments may be read by Deputy Director Alford at this time.
- Regular Agenda
- Administrative Committee Update – Tim Herman
- 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 – July 16, 2020
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Cancelled Due to War Conditions – NCSFA Event Histories
Note: This posting is also available as a PDF document. Download. (2.4M)
Introduction
On May 6, 2020, during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, the North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association (NCSFA) announced the cancellation of their annual conference.
The South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo was scheduled to take place in Raleigh on August 12-15, 2020. As they noted in their announcement, it was only the fourth time the event has been cancelled in their 133-year history.
The following is a short (short?) history of conference cancellations of the past, along with the 1944 delay due to polio, and some tournament and fire college cancellations.
Convention Delayed… Due to Polio, 1944
On July 24, 1944, NCSFA Vice President Charles Burkett announced that the annual convention in Charlotte, scheduled for August 10-14, would be postponed for one month due to the “infantile paralysis epidemic.” As reported by the Durham Sun on that date, Burkett said that the Executive Committee made the decision based upon the advice of State Health Officer Dr. Carl V. Reynolds. The convention was rescheduled to September 12-14, with the same program as was planned for the August dates.
During the polio outbreaks of the 1940s and 1950s, the North Carolina fire departments and rescue squads assisted with public health efforts by adding iron lungs to their emergency equipment. Below is a picture of the Durham Fire Department receiving an iron lung, as photographed by Charles Cooper for the Durham Morning Herald circa March 30, 1948.
Durham Sun – July 24, 1944
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