Raleigh Unit Renumbering Recap

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This is a blog version of prior-posted Facebook content.

Earlier this year, the Raleigh Fire Department renumbered it’s ladder companies, along with Rescue 1, the haz-mat units, the mini-pumpers, and selected other units. 

Round One

Old New Date Loc Apparatus  Notes
Ladder 1 Ladder 4 01/25/21 Sta 4 2014 Pierce platform  
Ladder 2 Ladder 11 01/20/21 Sta 11 2015 Pierce tiller  
Ladder 3 Ladder 14 12/09/20 Sta 17 2007 Pierce ladder Future  Sta 14
Ladder 4 Ladder 1 01/25/21 Sta 1 2018 Pierce tiller  
Ladder 5 Ladder 25 01/18/21 Sta 25 2009 Pierce platform  
Ladder 6 Ladder 23 12/14/20 Sta 24 2005 Pierce ladder Future Sta 23
Ladder 7 Ladder 20 01/04/21 Sta 20 2009 Pierce platform  
Ladder 8 Ladder 12 01/11/21 Sta 12 2017 Pierce tiller  
Ladder 9 Ladder 6 12/21/20 Sta 23 2010 Pierce tiller Future Sta 6

Round Two

Effective on February 22, 2021, these units were renumbered:

Rescue 1 > Rescue 16

The unit number Rescue 1 was used from 1953 to 1976, and from 2009 to 2021. From then to now, the progression is R1 > R3 > R12 > R7 > R21 > R19 > R1 > R16.

Haz-Mat 1 > Haz-Mat 2 (staffed by E2)
Haz-Mat 2 > Haz-Mat 29 (main regional response unit, staffed by E29)
Haz-Mat 3 > Haz-Mat 8 (recon unit, staffed by E8)
Haz-Mat 4 > Haz-Mat 25 (decon unit, staffed by L25)
Haz-Mat 5 > Haz-Mat 27 (spill control unit, staffed by E27)

The first haz-mat unit was activated around June 29, 1984. It was a 1977 Chevrolet panel van, cross-staffed (as again today) by Engine 2.

Mini 1 > Mini 7 (staffed by Sq7)
Mini 2 > Mini 28 (staffed by E28)
Mini 3 > Mini 14 (staffed by Sq14)

The mini-pumpers also serve as towing units for boat trailers (Sq7, Sq14) and towing ATV trailer (Sq14).

ATV 1 > ATV 14
ATV 2 > ATV 25

Car 20 > Division Chief 1 (Operations shift commander at Sta 12)
Raleigh FD has five Division Chief positions, three in Operations (above, rotating), one in Logistics, and one in Professional Development.

Car 402 > Investigator 1 (Shift fire investigator, staffed by E1)
For most of the time since their inception in 1983, the Raleigh FD has primarily utilized part-time investigators, cross-staffed from an engine company. From 2007 to 2017, one full-time investigator was on duty each day at Station 1.

Photo credits Mike Legeros and Lee Wilson (top right)

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Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – May 20, 2021

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The Wake County Fire Commission will hold a special-called, virtual meeting on Thursday, May 20, 2021. 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. 

View Meeting Documents

Agenda

  • Meeting Called to Order: Chairman Keith McGee
    • Invocation
    • Pledge of allegiance
    • Roll of Members Present
  • Items of Business
    • Adoption of Minutes for January 21, 2021 Meeting
    • Approval of Agenda
    • Appointments to Health & Wellness Committee
    • Presentation on Re-Structure of the Fire Commission Membership
    • Discuss Meeting Options ( Virtual or In Person )
  • Public Comments:
    • Comments emailed in from the public, as directed on the public advertisement on the County
      Meeting Calendar prior to noon on May 20, 2021. 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 Director Alford at this time.
  • Regular Agenda
  • Information Agenda
    • Fire Tax Financial Report – Michael Gammon
    • Standing Committee Updates
      • Administrative
      • Apparatus
      • Budget
      • Communications
      • Equipment
      • Facility
      • Health & Wellness
      • Training
      • Volunteer Recruitment & Retention Committee
    • Chair Report
    • Fire Services Report
  • Other Business
  • Adjournment – Next Meeting – July 15, 2021
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Then and Now – Old Station 1, Durham

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Friday night history. Then and now photo of old Durham Station 1. Top is Legeros photo from today, bottom is circa 1928. The two-story engine house at 212 N. Mangum Street opened in 1925, and included two front and one side apparatus bay. It was erected on the site of an earlier 1891 fire station, which was smaller and had a bell tower in the rear.

The engine house was occupied until the summer of 1964, when a new Station 1 was completed around the corner at 139 E. Morgan Street. The historic structure was converted for use by Durham Police, and later served as an office building before its current incarnation as a restaurant.

Read more about Durham former fire stations.

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Raleigh Railroad Turntables

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Random Raleigh history. Locations of the four railroad turntables of yore, from a July 31, 2020, posting of mine on Facebook. They’re also mapped on Google Maps. 

1 – Norfolk-Southern
USDA aerial photo, 1959

2 – Boylan Heights
USDA aerial photo, 1959

3 – West Johnson Street #1 – Seaboard Airline – Still operating
USDA aerial photo, 1959

4 – West Johnson Street #2 – Seaboard Airline – Presuming that a turntable was housed in that building.
Sanborn Map, 1914

Sources

USDA aerials
https://library.unc.edu/data/gis-usda

Sanborn Maps
That’s trickier. Hit the North Carolina Maps site, for public domain Sanborn Maps. But for the 1950 map, check the Library of Congress site. And if they don’t have that particular map digitized, use https://www.nclive.org which will require access via your local library card/account.

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Fallen Firefighters Golf Tournament in Raleigh – June 21, 2021

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Event alert. The Raleigh Fire Department is hosting the Fifteenth Annual Golf Tournament in support of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). The event is Monday, June 21, 2021, at Bentwinds Golf & Country Club.

Entry fee for each golfer is $120.00. Team names and player fees must be submitted by June 5, 2021. The event is a Superball Golf Tournament with four-player teams. The date is June 21 at Bentwinds Country Club. Tee time is 10:00 a.m. Please arrive no later than 8:30 a.m., for complementary breakfast, hitting range balls, and playing in the putting contest.

See this PDF flyer for more information.

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Two Alarms on Riddle Road in Durham

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Listen to radio traffic | See Legeros photos

Two alarms were struck in Durham on Thursday, April 29, 2021, at a major outside fire at 1915 Riddle Road. Dispatched 3:38 p.m. as a vehicle fire for Engine 4, located two blocks away, and Tanker 18. Structure fire assignment also dispatched, while first units were en route. Arriving units found heavy fire in a scrap pile containing various materials, including automobiles and large appliances.

Several hundred feet of five-inch supply line was laid from a hydrant about a block from the business entrance. Ladder 12 was positioned beside Engine 4, and supplied/boosted by the engine. Engine 1, on Riddle Road, boosted the pressure on the hydrant.


Mike Legeros photo

With addition water pressure/capacity needed, tankers were utilized, with Tanker 18 serving as the dump tank at the business entrance. Two other tankers shuttled water from a fill point in rear of Station, backing down Riddle Road to the connection point to Tanker 18.

Tanker 18 provided relay pumping to Engine 12, which deployed it’s deck gun. Battalion 1 was the incident command location. Haz-Mat units brought foam containers to the scene. Portable monitor(s) and hand lines were also used.


Mike Legeros photo

Second alarm later called for manpower, to relieve first-alarm companies. As Durham FD on Facebook noted, that brought 27 more firefighters to the scene, for a total of 64 working the incident.

The Durham FD drone team was also operating, with thermal imaging used to assist with suppression and assessing threat to nearby homes, on the other side of a wooded area.

 


Mike Legeros photo

Quint 19 deployed to Homewood Avenue, and flow water for a number of hours to mitigate any embers, and reduced the amount of thick smoke that was spreading through the neighborhood and across Alston Avenue.

The fire was brought under control in approximately six hours. Crews remained on scene through the night, dousing hot spots. Riddle Road, between Highway 55 and Alston Avenue also remained closed through the night.


Mike Legeros photo

Durham County EMS also had units on scene and provided scene support.

Legeros arrived some two hours into the incident. 


Mike Legeros photo

Run card included: Sq1, Sq4, B1, B2, B3, B4, E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, E12, E13, E14, E18, L2, l3, L12, Q19, R1, HM13, HM16, MS1 (mobile support unit), Safety Officer, Division Chief, Special Operations Chief, Fire Chief, plus many tankers (including a tanker task force): DFD T11, T17, T18 and county units T316 (cleared after dispatched), T325, T335, T515 (all three cleared before arriving), Redwood T715.

Dispatch: E4, T18
First alarm: R1, FD20, SAF1, Sq4, L12, E1, E3, L3, T11, T17, B1, B3
Added: HM13, HM16, MS1, other chiefs
Tanker task force: T316 (cleared after dispatched), T325, T335, T515 (all three cleared before arriving), Redwood T715.
Second alarm: [goes here]

 

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Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – April 15, 2021

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The Wake County Fire Commission will hold a special-called, virtual meeting on Thursday, April 15, 2021. 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. 

View Meeting Documents

Agenda

  • Meeting Called to Order: Chairman Keith McGee
    • Invocation
    • Pledge of allegiance
    • Roll of Members Present
  • Items of Business
    • Adoption of Minutes for January 21, 2021 Meeting
    • Approval of Agenda
    • Long Range Plan Guiding Principals & Standards Update and Recommendation
    • Presentation and Recommendation of FY22 Fire Tax District Budget
  • Public Comments:
    • Comments emailed in from the public, as directed on the public advertisement on the County
      Meeting Calendar prior to noon on April 15, 2021. 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 Director Alford at this time.
  • Adjournment – Next Meeting – May 20, 2021
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Wake County EMS Adds Cary Units

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Here’s the new “Cary Main” EMS station, activated on April 1, 2021, in old Cary Fire Station 2/Station 9 on Maynard Road. It’s occupied by Wake County EMS, who took over the response area of Cary EMS on that date. See below for summary of new EMS units and locations. Pics from April 2 and April 8, with a new apron nearly completed.  See more Legeros photos.

Effective April 1, 2021

New WCEMS units placed in service:

  • EMS 50, DC5 – Cary Main – 875 SE Maynard Road, old CFD Sta 2/Sta 9
  • EMS 51 – Cary West – 2101 High House Road, CFD Sta 5
  • EMS 52 – Morrisville – 10632 Chapel Hill Road, MFD Sta 2
  • EMS 58 – Mills Park – 408 Mills Park Drive, CFD Sta 8
  • EMS 59 – Cary East – 1427 Walnut Street, CFD Sta 9 – Start/stop location only, and posts at Cary Main, and parks outside in the rear of the Cary Main station. Daytime unit.

Note: Some of these unit designations were previously assigned to Cary EMS.

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Footprints of Raleigh Fire Stations

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Random data and graphics play. Building footprints of Raleigh fire stations, created in November 2021. 

Source files at https://legeros.smugmug.com/Errata/Footprints/

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End of an Era for Cary EMS

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End of an era. Cary Area EMS ceased responding to 911 calls in Wake County yesterday, April 1, 2021, wrapping 17,758 days of service after answering their first call on August 18, 1972. (But stay tuned, as they’re planning to retool as a new educational non-profit.)

The “community rescue squad” was formed in September 1971, and after an incident that summer where a boy struck by a furniture truck died after waiting forty-five minutes for an ambulance to arrive from Raleigh.

The steering committee included members of Cary FD and Yrac FD, and presented their ideas to Town Council in October of that year. Instead of a service affiliated with a particular fire department, they formed a private, non-profit corporation, with fifteen charter members.

They started with first aid classes for squad members, creating an advisory board of local leaders, and their first fund drive, to raise money for an ambulance, a rescue truck, and a down payment on a squad.

And so they began, providing decades of service to the community and with so many great, dedicated people.

Among their many milestones: first squad in state to “make general use of pagers” (1972), first ambulance built by Murphy Body Works in Wilson (1973), first Hurst tool in Wake County (1974), first of three volunteer squads in county with paramedics (1986), first nationally accredited volunteer squad (1999).

Below are some historical images of Cary EMS over the years and decades, see more on the History of EMS in Wake County photo page. 

Read Mike’s research notes on the early history of Cary EMS at https://www.legeros.com/history/ems.

Effective April 1, 2021, Wake County EMS took over the primary response area of Cary EMS. On/by May 4, they will take over the response area of Eastern Wake EMS. They’re also hiring employees of both agencies. On that date, WCEMS will become the sole EMS provider in the county.

In their heyday, there were as many as nine community rescue squads serving in Wake County. From Apex to Fuquay to Rolesville to Zebulon. Fine legacy of service from all.

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