Looking Back at North Carolina Fallen Firefighters – May 2020

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Saturday, May 2, 2020, was the planned date for the 15th Annual North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. Due to the coronavirus, the event was postponed to August, to be co-located with the South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo. On Friday, the postponed NCFFF events were announced as cancelled.

This year’s addition to the memorial will be honored in May 2021. There are eleven firefighters, including four legacy additions from 1880 to 1964. The other members died in the line of duty between July 2018 and September 2019. They are:

  • 04/10/1880 – William A. Ellerbrock, Howard Relief/Wilmington
  • 06/17/1893 – Joseph B. Willard, Wilmington Hook & Ladder/Wilmington
  • 11/26/1946 – Frank W. Bennett, Durham
  • 08/18/1964 – George W. House Sr., Asheville
  • 07/04/2018 – Michael G. Goodnight, West Liberty
  • 12/18/2018 – David Wayne Page, Durham
  • 01/31/2019 – Karen A. Shuart, Asheville
  • 03/07/2019 – Wayne R. Mason, Tri-Beach
  • 05/30/2019 – Dennis M. Ebersole, Kure Beach
  • 08/29/2019 – W. Keith Tessinear, Raleigh
  • 09/20/2019 – Claud G. Messer, Jonathan Creek

About the Memorial

The North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Memorial is located at Nash Square in downtown Raleigh. It was dedicated on May 6, 2006, and with 164 names engraved on black stone tablets. Those fire service members—both career and volunteer, and from departments ranging from municipal to forest service to industrial brigade—died in the line of duty between 1902 to 2005.

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2020 South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo Cancelled

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The following announcement was posted on Wednesday, May 6, 2020:

The North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association Executive Board has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 South Atlantic FIRE RESCUE Expo, along with the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service, the Annual Banquet, the Golf Tournament and all associated conference activities, scheduled for August 12-15 in Raleigh, NC.

Plans are in the works to host a modified Annual Meeting and once those plans have been solidified, we will make the announcement to our membership.

2020 marks the fourth time in NCSFA’s history that the event has been canceled. The three previous times were in the 1940’s, twice for WWII and once for a polio outbreak.

“We recognize the magnitude of this decision and do not make it lightly. The current environment and phases that the government has laid out for the reopening of our state make it strategically impossible to safely gather at the time our conference would take place. Our conference brings together over 5,000 firefighters and first responders, who we want to remain healthy and able to perform their essential duties in their communities. The safety of our membership, attendees, exhibitors and volunteers at our conference is our primary concern. The only responsible decision we could make is to keep their safety in mind and cancel the conference for this year.” – Tim Bradley, NCSFA Executive Director

We value the support of our exhibitors and want to keep the strong partnerships we have built over the years with you. We will be refunding all payments made for SAFRE 2020 spaces and sponsorships to you in the next couple weeks. If you have questions regarding your payment status please contact kris@ncsfa.com.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding during this unprecedented time. While we cannot be together this year, we are already planning for SAFRE 2021 and look forward to being together again soon.

Take care and be safe,

The Executive Board and Staff of the NC State Firefighters’ Association

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Cary, Apex, Morrisville, Western Wake Family Tree

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April 2020
This family tree has been expanded to include Apex and Morrisville, which joined in operational consolidation with the Cary Fire Department in 2019. The new chart reflects the change and the past history of both AFD and MFD.

View as jpg | View as pdf (2.1M)

 
October 2016
How about a visual history of Western Wake Fire-Rescue, which dates back to the Cary FD in 1922? From there, they evolved to the Cary Rural FD, which splintered into the Yrac FD, which merged with the Fairgrounds FD, which was organized by members of the former Western Boulevard FD. There’s also a State Fair Fire Brigade in there, as a side note.

Thanks for everyone’s help with recent fact-checking! Most appreciated.

View as JPG (1.4M) | View as PDF (1.4M) | See more charts

Or read these text histories or see historical photos of the fire departments.

2016-10-12-wwfd

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Virtual Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – Tuesday, April 28

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April 29
Here’s the agenda packet, with the slides shown at Monday’s meeting. Download from www.legeros.com/blog/docs/wcfc/2020-04.

Here’s the direct link (mp4, 128MB) to the WebEx recording. Or navigate to the file from www.wakegov.com/fire/commission/minutes. 

April 26
The Wake County Fire Commission meets this week. They’ll hold a special-called meeting, and their first-ever virtual meeting, on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

The agenda is below. Any slides and other materials will be added to this posting post-meeting. Here are instructions for public participation:

  • To make a public comment, submit your statement to darrell.alford@wakegov.com no later than 11:00 a.m. EST on Monday, April 27. Based on the number of public comments received, they may be read during the meeting, or mailed to the commission members.
  • To watch and listen online, visit this link [expired]. To listen via telephone, call this toll number: +1-408-418-9388 Access code: 217 646 572. < See this Wake County meeting calendar, to confirm those numbers as needed.

Agenda

  • Meeting Called to Order: Chairman Keith McGee
    • Invocation
    • Pledge of allegiance
    • Roll of Members Present
  • Items of Business
    • County Staff Presents FY21 Budget for Recomendation
  • Public Comments:
    • Comments from the public will be read by Deputy Director Alford if any are received
  • Adjournment – Next Meeting – May 21, 2020
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Rolesville Planning Future Fire Stations

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April 25, 2020
Project update. Signs have been added to the three future fire station sites. Some land has also been cleared. 


Mike Legeros photos

October 7, 2018
Rolesville Rural Fire Department celebrated their 60th anniversary today, with a reception and open house. (Pictures coming!)

Displayed was this Davis/Kane drawing and site design of a fire station concept. Click to enlarge:

2018-10-07-rrfd

Recall from this 2016 blog post that the department has been planning for three future fire stations. This design can be used for all three, they note.

The department has already purchased three sites, for the planned stations:

  • 4124 Burlington Mills Road
    • 3.48 acres
    • Purchased 4/29/16
  • Fowler Road at Mitchell Mill Road, southwest corner
    • 5.91 acres
    • Purchased 6/25/2018
  • Old Pearce Road, just east of Daniel Road
    • 9.00 acres
    • Purchased 10/15/2016

Timeframe for the project(s) to start is two to five years.  

As noted in that 2016 blog post, Rolesville is the largest single-station fire department in the county, protecting 32.88 square miles with one fire station.

The additional stations are needed to meet the rapid growth in both the municipal and rural areas of their fire district. (In 2016, Realtor.com called Rolesville the seventh fastest growing town in the country.) 

Standard disclaimers apply. As with all things planned, things may change. 

2018-10-07-rrfd-map

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Umstead Park Plane Crash, October 2019 – Incident Notes

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On October 20, 2019, starting at 7:25 p.m., fire and EMS units were dispatched to a reported plane crash at Umstead State Park, which borders Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The dispatched address was the intersection of Ebenezer Church Road and Graylyn Drive. The airport control tower reported loss of radar contact with a light plane, later identified as a Piper PA-32-301, N534Z, with two souls aboard. 

Command post and staging areas were established at the intersection, with search crews entering park in vehicles and later on foot. Search activities continued until about 3:00 a.m. Operations  resumed after daybreak, with command and staging relocated to the park’s visitor’s center on Glenwood Avenue. The aircraft was located at 10:22 a.m. There were no survivors. 

Incidents notes about the fire and EMS response have been compiled Mike Legeros. Read the 37 page document (PDF, 4.8M) at  https://legeros.com/blog/docs/2019-umstead-park-plane-crash.pdf

See Legeros photos from the incident at https://legeros.smugmug.com/Fire-Photos/2019/2019-10-umstead-crash

See related research on area airplane accidents at https://www.legeros.com/history/aviation/crashes/

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Apex Adds Second Ladder, Staffed Rescue

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News from Apex. They’ve added a second, fully-staffed ladder company, effective April 6. On that date, Ladder 34 (at Station 4) and Ladder 35 (at Station 5) were both in service. This followed the graduation of a recruit academy, which added sixteen firefighters to the full-time ranks.

The backstory on the second ladder company is a slightly more complicated. In November, the town’s new ladder truck–a 2019 Smeal/Spartan straight stick, delivered in October–was put in service as Ladder 35 at Station 4. The crew of Ladder 34 moved from their 2006 E-One platform to the new truck. In early January, Ladder 35 was moved from Station 4 to Station 5. Finally, on April 6, Ladder 34 returned to service at Station 4. Got it?

But, wait, what about Ladder 33? Keep reading…


Atlantic Coast Fire Trucks photo

Rescue 34 with Full Staffing

On January 13, Rescue 34 was activated as a fully-staffed fire company. The 2017 E-One heavy rescue was moved to Station 3, and Ladder 33 was removed from service. Personnel were reshuffled, with those interested in the rescue assignment added to the new company. Prior to the change, Rescue 34 was housed at Station 4 and cross-staffed by Ladder 34.

Ladder 33 is a 2004 E-One quint and operated as the “engine” at Station 3. For fire calls, Ladder 33’s district has been split between Station 1 and Station 5. For EMS calls, the response district hasn’t changed. Rescue 34 is now first-due for EMS responses in the former Ladder 33 district.


Mike Legeros photo

More Hoods for Cancer Prevention

Also, Apex FD has taken delivery of a second round of particulate blocking hoods. It’s part of the department’s aggressive measures to protect their personnel from the known carcinogens that they face on the fireground. Once deployed this week, each Apex firefighter will have two hoods assigned to them. The department selected Lion RedZone brand.

Relocating Station 3

In other news, the town is currently planning to relocate Station 3 to Wimberly Road. Exact location TBD, along with station design. It will be in the proximity of the town pump station at 1105 Wimberly Road. Then what happens?

The expected progression of events will be (a.) open new Station 3 on Wimberly Road, (b.) relocate Station 1 crew and equipment to Station 3, (c.) replace Station 1 with new facility at the same site, (d.) relocate Station 3 crew and equipment to new Station 1, (e.) renovate old Station 3 as new Fire Admin facility, (f.) relocate Fire Admin from current quarters at old Apex EMS station on Highway 55, which will be removed in the future due to planned widening of the highway.

Those are the present plans. And, disclaimer goes here, as all such plans are subject to change based on changing conditions. 

Here’s an earlier blog post, about a Town Council work session in September, where prospective plans were discussed for Station 1, and in the context of its close proximity to Station 3, and town and AFD needs for the future. 

And… that is all. 

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New Ladder for Fuquay-Varina

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The Town of Fuquay-Varina recently received a new ladder truck. This 2019 Spartan/Smeal rear-mount, 1500/400/105-foot was delivered on February 27, 2020. 

Specs include:

  • Four-section ladder and 105 feet of heavy-duty 100,000 psi steel and features a 750 pound working tip load without any restrictions in relation to elevation, extension or rotation, while flowing 1,500 GPM.
  • 16-foot standard jack spread with short jack capability
  • Spartan Advanced Occupant Protection, driver knee, steering wheel, officer knee, and side curtain airbags with side impact sensors and rollover protection
  • Galvanized frame rails, subframe, and outriggers
  • Cummins 505 HP engine with engine brake and transmission retarder
  • 1500 gpm Waterous pump
  • 400 gallon water tank
  • Full height/full depth driver side compartments
  • Department-specific custom front bumper layout
  • Vinyl searing
  • EMS compartments
  • Hydraulic generator with two cord reels.


Photo credit Fuquay-Varina Fire Department/Atlantic Coast Fire Trucks

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New Ladder for Apex

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Recording this older news as a blog post, for the historical record. Late last year, the town of Apex received a new ladder truck, a 2019 Spartan/Smeal, 2000/400/105-foot. It was delivered in September/October. Exact date TBD. 

New Ladder 35 was placed in service at Station 5 on January __, 2020. It was operated at Station 5 by the crew of Ladder 34 for a couple months. On April 6, and following the graduation of a new fire academy, the town’s second fully-staffed ladder company was activated, with Ladder 34 at Station 4 and Ladder 35 at Station 5. 

Here’s the present ‘n’ past roster of aerial apparatus in Apex:

  • 2019 Spartan/Smeal rear-mount ladder, 2000/400/105-foot – L35.
  • 2006 E-One Cylone II rear-mount platform, 2000/?/95-foot, L34.
  • 2004 E-One Typhoon rear-mount ladder, 1500/500/75-foot, reserve.
  • 1989 Simon-Duplex/LTI rear-mount ladder, 1500/400/75-foot.

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Vintage Audio – Three Alarms on Edwards Mill Road, 1990

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For Friday enjoyment, here’s some vintage radio traffic of the Raleigh Fire Department operating at a three-alarm fire off Edwards Mill Road on July 21, 1990. It was recorded by veteran fire buff Jeff Harkey during a period of severe storm activity. The ninety minutes of radio traffic–both before and after the major incident–has been compressed to about 29 minutes, with gaps of silence removed. 

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