Cary + Apex + Morrisville – New Fire System in Service

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Change log. May 10. Evening. New map, updated with response districts instead of municipal and ETJ areas as base map. May 10. Morning. Slight edits. Noting that existing Cary P25 radio system being used. Annotating map, noting that shaded areas are municipal and ETJ boundaries. Etc.

Introduction

On Tuesday, May 7, the fire departments of Cary, Apex, and Morrisville began operating as a unified system, with all three departments now dispatched by the Town of Cary, with their unit numbers changed (as needed) to a single system, and their resources operationally consolidated.

Cary + Apex + Morrisville, or… CAM.

They’re now a three-department “fire system” with 17 stations, 15 engines (one as quint), 8 ladders (three as quints), 5 rescues, and 4 battalion chiefs.  

Even better, they’re all dispatched as closest-unit response. For those monitoring Cary Communications[1], those are the new units and dispatch assignments that you’ve been hearing. Such as Engine 34, Ladder 33, Rescue 21, Battalion 4, etc.

What happened? A couple things, including a change to 911 call processing for the towns of Apex and Morrisville. They changed from the Raleigh/Wake communications center to the Town of Cary. And thus the dispatching of AFD and MFD was also changed from “Raleigh” to Cary.

Here’s the skinny on the changes. Big thanks to each department’s Chief of Department, for their help collecting and clarifying this information. Will edit/update as needed.

[1] How to listen? Already listening to CFD? It’s using the same system, freqs., talkgroups (plus some borrowed from Wake County), etc. Otherwise, you’ll need a trunking scanner that can receive P25. And possibly closer physical proximity, at least as Mr. Blogger has experienced. His Whistler WS1065 mobile scanner doesn’t get squat, once he’s a few miles outside of Cary. At home, he uses the live scanner feed on his computer. Just remember to refresh/restart, every X hours. 

The System

  • Town of Cary now processing 911 calls for Town of Apex, Town of Morrisville.
  • Town of Cary now dispatching Apex FD, Morrisville FD, and Morrisville PD.
  • Apex PD continuing to use their own communications center.
  • See this interlocal agreement (PDF, 82 pages) presented to the Apex Town Council in January 2019, for background.
  • See also this short WTVD news story from Tuesday, about the change.
     
  • CFD, AFD, MFD now operating as a unified “fire system.” They have operationally consolidated their resources, and are cooking joint operational guidelines.
  • AFD, MFD units have been renumbered. Some CFD units, mostly support units, have also been renumbered.
  • CFD, AFD, MFD resources now dispatched as a single fire system, and using closest unit dispatch in additional to jurisdictional dispatch.
     
  • Each department still maintains its own identify, its own budget, its own municipal reporting structure, etc.
  • CFD, AFD, MFD have been conducting training together for nearly two years.

Dispatching

  • Cary ECC (emergency communications center) first dispatches the closest CFD, AFD, MFD resource with the needed capability, regardless of jurisdiction. And using AVL (automatic vehicle locator) technology, in all units.
  • Cary ECC next adds the CFD, AFD, MFD unit with jurisdiction responsibility.
  • This provides fastest resource, by dispatching the closest unit.
     
  • Example from morning of May 8. Morrisville R21 was dispatched to Evans Road for EMS call, because they were the closest physical unit. Cary E1 was then added because of jurisdiction responsibility.
     
  • This will be done for all call types, regardless of unit recommended. Listen for an assortment of CFD, AFD, MFD units, based on capability of units and location of incident.
  • For incidents with a Battalion Chief on the response, the closest BC will be dispatched regardless of jurisdiction.
     
  • Note that Cary ECC does not dispatch any EMS resources. They perform EMD, dispatch first responder fire units, and then request EMS dispatch from Raleigh/Wake ECC.

Unit Numbers

Cary – 1 to 19
Morrisville – 20 to 29
Apex – 30 to 49

Used for all units and radios, with exception of sequential Battalion Chief designations. MFD B1 now B4. AFD B1 now B5.

Continue reading ‘Cary + Apex + Morrisville – New Fire System in Service’ »

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Cary Adds Ladder 8

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The Town of Cary Fire Department activated a fourth ladder company this week. Ladder 8 was placed in service on Sunday, April 23, 2019, at Station 8 on Mills Park Drive. 

They’ve been assigned the 2018 Pierce Enforcer 1500/300/105-foot rear-mount that had been assigned to Ladder 5. The latter ladder laddies are back on their earlier truck, a 2004 Pierce Dash 1500/300/105-foot rear-mount platform.

In addition to their four ladder companies, CFD also operates a quint company. Engine 6 is assigned a 2008 Pierce Velocity aerial ladder, 1500/300/105′.

Total Count in Wake County?

For those keeping score, the total number of (front-line) ladders in the county:

  • Apex (2)
  • Cary (5)
  • Fuquay-Varina
  • Garner
  • Holly Springs
  • Knightdale
  • Morrisville (2)
  • Northern Wake
  • Raleigh (9)
  • Rolesville
  • Wake Forest
  • Wendell
  • Zebulon

Look for +1 in a couple places, coming soon. Such AFD, which will add a third ladder company at Station 5.

Mike Legeros photo

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Wilmington Fireman Killed by Falling Wall – 1893

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On June 17, 1893, Wilmington volunteer fireman Joseph Ballister Willard died in the line of duty. He was a member of Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, and was killed when a wall collapsed at a warehouse fire.

The fire started at 2:00 a.m. at a brick warehouse on Water Street, which stored about 400 bales of cotton, along with 31 “hogs-heads” of molasses. Flames broke through the glass skylight “with a report that shook buildings in the neighborhood.”

Police Officer Moore “promptly” reported the fire, from Box 43, at the corner of Orange and Front streets. Arriving firemen found the “doors and windows” closed, but the interior “a mass of flames.”

Willard was killed when the “roof and the coping [top of a wall]” collapsed.

They first thought that no one had been “caught in the ruins” until a “fireman’s hat” was found, and no member claimed it. They made a search and found the body of Willard “under the bricks and debris”.

His body was “taken up tenderly” and removed to the residence of his parents. Willard was 25 years old.

The collapse also seriously injured a member of the Howard Relief Fire Engine Company.

A public funeral was planned for 11 o’clock at the First Presbyterian Church.

The story was carried in numerous newspapers around the state,  including these  local papers:

 

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Notes on Raleigh Response to Durham Explosion on April 10

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November 13, 2019
Yesterday, after action reports were released by the Durham Fire Department and the Durham City/County Emergency Management. See blog post. 

The documents include the following information about the incident:

  • First Alarm: E1, L3
  • Second Alarm: FD1, FD2, FD3, FD4, FD5, FD6, FD8, FD20, MS1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, E9, E10, E12, E13, E15, E16, L2, L12, L17, Q7, Q11, SQ1, SQ4, SQ7, HM13, Prevention staff.
  • Synopsis: On April 10, 2019, the Durham Fire Department responded to a report of the smell of natural gas near 115 North Duke Street. As firefighters were searching for the source of the leak, and evacuating the surrounding businesses, an explosion occurred around 10:07 a.m. Nine firefighters were injured, transported to the hospital, treated and released. Three buildings were completely destroyed displacing three businesses (Kaffeinate, Prescient, and The Ingraham Collection). There were twenty-five civilians injured and two civilian fatalities. More than 97 firefighters responded to the explosion and remained on scene throughout the day to watch for fires.
  • Damage: Eighteen buildings, containing 23 businesses, were impacted by the explosion, with estimates of more than $100 million worth of property damage. The two buildings housing The Ingram Collection, Prescient, Main Street Clinical Associates, and Kaffeinate Coffee Shop were condemned. St. James Seafood, Torero’s, and Duke University Health System offices were ordered to remain unoccupied while repairs are made. Recovery efforts were later hindered by the structural integrity of a nearby wall and the presence of asbestos in some of the debris.
  • Timeline: See after-action reports. 

May 2, 2019
For those documenting the response to the building explosion and fire and collapse in downtown Durham on the morning of April 10, 2019, here are some details on the response of the Raleigh Fire Department. Both the regional haz-mat and USAR teams were activated by the state, to respond to the incident at 115 Duke Street in Durham.

Regional Response Team 4, operated by the Raleigh FD, responded with Haz-Mat 2 (from Station 29), Haz-Mat 3 (recon unit from Sta 8), Haz-Mat 4 (decon unit from Sta 25), Haz-Mat 5 (support unit from Sta 27), Battalion 3, and Car 55, the Haz-Mat Coordinator. They responded with thirteen firefighters.

The haz-mat team provided air monitoring support to the Durham FD and monitored for natural gas in the multiple buildings surrounding the collapse site, as well as the surrounding sewer system. After they finished, Haz-Mat 3 and Car 55 remained on scene to continue providing air monitoring support for USAR operations.

Task Force 8 responded with USAR 1, USAR 2, USAR 6 (communications), USAR 7 (tractor-drawn flatbed with shoring materials), [those four units from the Keeter Training Center], USAR 801 (swift-water unit from Sta 21, used for personnel transport). Thirty-four members were deployed from the member agencies: Raleigh FD (14), Durham FD (3), Chapel Hill FD (11), Wake County EMS (3), and Atlas Engineering (3).

After their arrival, checking with command, and conducting a 360 of the scene, the USAR members were divided into five teams, with tasks including entry and searching void spaces with search cameras in a second building (and the one most impacted by the blast), surveying and conducting secondary searches of additional buildings on the block, assisting with escorting occupants of evacuated buildings (and retrieving personal effects), and assisting with victim removal from the blast building.

All units had returned to the Raleigh city limits by 8:00 p.m. and began demobilizing.

Photo credit: Raleigh Fire Department.

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Correction Sheets for Raleigh & Wake County Firefighting Books

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Attention book fans, get yer correction sheets right here! 

www.legeros.com/books

Remember Raleigh & Wake County Firefighting, both volumes, published fifteen years ago by Arcadia Publishing? They contained the odd error, and the oops have been long listed on the author’s web site.

Recently realized that a printable version was needed. Thus presenting these downloadable correction sheets. Just print ‘n’ fold ‘n’ stick in the back of the books. And which are still in print and available wherever fine books are sold.

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Wilmington Fire Department History Book – 1985

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https://legeros.com/history/library

For your Tuesday reading pleasure, here’s another vintage North Carolina fire department history book that’s been scanned. This one’s from my personal collection. Slowly building a digital library for everyone.

Will be adding more over time, Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem. Each is a PDF document and a bit reduced in size. Large but not voluminous.

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North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Ceremony – May 4, 2019

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We’re ten days away from this year’s NCFFF memorial service. Here are details and the list of this year’s honored. LODD information via Google. 

The North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Foundation will honor seven firefighters who died in the line of duty in the past year, plus one who passed away in 2014. The 14th annual memorial service will be conducted in Nash Square in downtown Raleigh on Saturday, May 4, 2019, at the North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Memorial.

The ceremony starts at 1:00 p.m. The event will be preceded by a parade down Hillsborough and Dawson Streets at 10:00 a.m. The parade will consist of an honor guard and apparatus and members from the North Carolina fire departments that have experienced a line of duty death. For more information see www.ncfff.org.

Honored at this year’s memorial:

Eric D. Lacewell
Captain, 51
Wilmington FD 
11/4/14 
Died of complications of an injury received at the fire station in 2011. He was found on the kitchen floor, having fallen. He became a quadriplegic as a result of his injuries.

Bobby D. “Darren” Shew
Firefighter, 48
Roaring River FD 
5/18/17 
Died at Forsyth Medical Center from cancer. Shew’s death was the first firefighter cancer death to be ruled as a line-of-duty death by the North Carolina Industrial Commission.

William P. “Will” Willis
Engineer, 34
Asheville FD
2/17/18
Died at his home in Mars Hill from a rare form of kidney cancer. Willis’ death was the second to be ruled as duty-related by the state. See above.

Richard L. Sales
Fire Chief, 52
Reynolds VFD 
4/8/18
Died in a single-vehicle crash in Interstate 40, while traveling on fire department business. He was headed to Wilmington for a conference on safety, where he was going to accept an award on behalf of his department.

Romulus S. “Tony” Spencer III
Fire Chief, 51
Engelhard Fire & Rescue 
6/3/18 
Died of a heart attack, after participating in training the day before. He was stricken at his home on June 1, and died at Norfolk Medical Center on June 3.

Dakota R. Snavely
Firefighter, 17
East Side FD 
6/10/18 
Died in a vehicle collision, while responding to an emergency call. A truck lost part of its load in front of his personal vehicle, which caused him to crash. The truck then also overturned. He died at the scene.

Jeffrey N. “Stan” Holden
Asst. Chief, 32
Orange Rural FD 
8/13/18
Found in cardiac arrest at the station, after participating in a trench rescue. He was pronounced dead at UNC Hospital’s Hillsborough Campus.

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Two Alarms on New Hope Road

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Two alarms were struck on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, at 4715 N. New Hope Road. That’s a two-story, wood frame, garden-style apartment building with 10,708 square-feet, and built 1972. Dispatched 12:01 p.m. for Raleigh plus nearby New Hope Engine 1 as auto-aid.

New Hope Engine 1 first-arriving, with smoke showing. Raleigh Engine 19 and Battalion 1 arrived right behind Engine 1, and Battalion 1 upgraded to working fire. Engine 19 brought a supply line to Engine 1, with Engine 21 boosting from the hydrant.

With heavy brown smoke venting from the gables, and fire quickly spreading through the common attic space, command request a second alarm. It was dispatched at 12:11 p.m. Staging was designed on New Hope Road.

Crews from three engines made interior attacks, while roof venting was started using Ladder 2 for access. Also deployed was Ladder 1, positioned in the A/D corner of the building, and supplied by Engine 9. Searches were negative. Fire was controlled within about 30 minutes.

Dispatched 12:01 p.m. Controlled 12:38 p.m. Cause determined as accidental. No injuries. Twelve apartments rendered uninhabitable. 

Run Card

12:01 p.m. – First alarm – E19, E21, E15, E11, L2, L1, R1, B1, B5, New Hope E1, C1.
12:08 p.m. – Working fire – C20, C402, A1, B2.
12:11 p.m. – Second alarm – E22, E28, E9, L8, L4. Plus C1, C2, C4, C14 (Safety Officer).
Plus E27, special called for hot spots during overhaul.

WRAL photo

@KellyEKennedyTV photo via Twitter

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Two Alarms on Falls of Neuse Road – April 10, 2019

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Belated posting about a fire from two weeks ago…

Two alarms were struck on April 10, 2019, at 6131 Falls of Neuse Road. Dispatched at 6:22 p.m. as an automatic fire alarm for Engine 15 and Ladder. Upgraded to commercial structure fire while the units were en route. 

Engine 15 found smoke showing on arrival, and quickly upgraded to working fire. Second alarm was requested shortly after the arrival of Battalion 1. 

Heavy smoke presented at the front door (and on all three floors). No occupants found on searches of all three floors. Hydrants and standpipe were connected. Fire was quickly extinguished, with second alarm companies assisting with overhaul, and notably ventilation of the building.

Building was unoccupied except for the cleaning crew, that reported the fire alarm, noted one news story. Controlled at 6:51 p.m. Cause determined as accidental. No injuries. 

Run Card

6:22 p.m. – Fire alarm – E15, L2
6:23 p.m. – Structure fire – E4, E19, E9, E16, L1, L3, R1, B1, B5
6:29 p.m. – Working fire – A2, C20, C401
6:32 p.m. – Second Alarm – E18, E27, E17, L8, L9

CBS17 photos

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Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – April 25, 2019

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There’s a special-called meeting of Wake County Fire Commission on Thursday, April 25, 2019, at 7:00 p.m., at the county emergency services training center,  220 S. Rogers Lane, Suite 160. The purpose of the meeting is a budget presentation by county staff. See supporting documents in the agenda packet.

View agenda packet. 

Agenda

  • Meeting Called to Order
    • Invocation
    • Pledge of allegiance
    • Roll of Members Present
  • Items of Business
    • Approval of Agenda

    Public Comments:

    • Comments from the public will be taken at this time. Members of the public are invited to make comment to the Commission, with a maximum of 3 minutes per person. A signup sheet for those who wish to speak during the public comments section of the meeting is located at the entrance of the meeting room.
  • Regular Agenda
    • Staff Budget Presentation
  • Other Business
  • Adjournment – Next Meeting – Regular Fire Commission Meeting May 16, 2019
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