Audio + Recap – Wake County Fire Commission Work Session – August 16

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August 16, 2018

Here’s an audio recording of the work session, by Legeros. Using phone, in pocket. Apologies for quality.

Download audio. (MP3, 84 M)

Summary:

  • Fire Services Director gave a presentation, with brief recap of background and extended, expanded information on several points.
  • Commission members conducted discussion.
  • Fairview Fire Department gave a ten-minute statement.
  • Garner Fire Department gave a ten-minute presentation.
  • Commission members conducted further discussion.
  • Though no voting was made, commission members expressed the consensus of opinion to take the proposed concept off the table.
  • Commission members expressed that the entire fire system instead be examined, to address service needs, areas of duplication, cost-savings opportunities, etc. 
  • Meeting adjourned.

August 12, 2018

The Wake County Fire Commission meets for a work session on Thursday, August 19, 2018, at the Wake County Emergency Services Training Center,  220 S. Rogers Lane, Suite 160. Meeting starts at 7:00 p.m.

There’s one topic on the agenda, continued from the July 19 meeting: the proposed closure and district realignment of Fairview Station 2.

No vote is planned. Nor will public comments be received.

View Agenda Packet

Agenda

  • Meeting Called to Order: Chair Chief McGee
    • Invocation
    • Pledge of allegiance
  • Insurance District Realignment and Station Closure Discussions
    • At the July 19, 2018 Fire commission meeting, the Director of Fire Services presented staff recommendations on the Ten-Ten Fire Insurance district realignment and closure of Fairview Rural Fire Department’s Station 2, at the completion of construction and opening of a new fire station located on Caddy Road. Public comment was presented and received by the Commission. Questions were generated for staff by Commission members and members were asked to provided Fire Services with additional questions, prior to continuation of discussions.
    • Action Requested: That the Commission receive information pertaining to the questions generated for staff
  • Meeting Adjournment
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Vintage Photos of Frisco, Triangle Fire Departments

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Found for sale on eBay, scans of photographs of the Frisco (Dare) and Triangle (Davidson) fire departments. Both from the 1970s, say seller notes. The Frisco picture is a grayscale scan from the seller.

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Raleigh Fire Facility Updates – Summer 2018

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July 28, 2018
Summer update on Raleigh Fire Department facility plans. Station 12 is almost ready. Station 14 has started site preparation. Station 6 has resumed work. More renovations are coming. Station 30 is now Station 13. And more. 

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Click to enlarge:

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Facility Project Type Project Location Project Notes
Sta 1 Replace TBD Programming complete. Site selection still underway, in area of Convention Center. Funding for multi-year project started in FY18. Renovation or rebuild on current site feasibility study.   
Sta 3 Replace 900 block Rock Quarry Road Land acquired, former state property, department of corrections. Funding to be requested in FY20.   
Sta 6 Rebuild 2601 Fairview Road Site preparation completed. Structural work started in mid-July. Footers being poured. Expected completion spring 2019. See photos.
Sta 10 Renovate 2711 Sanderford Road RFQ (request for qualifications) to be released for design services in August 2018.
Sta 11 Renovate/
Expand		 2925 Glenridge Road Design complete. Ladder 2 relocates to Sta 15 in Aug/Sep, upon receiving new apparatus. Engine 11 to relocate to Sta 7 and construction to begin in fall 2018. 
Sta 12 Relocate 807 Bus Way Construction complete. Expected to start operation in second week of August. See photos.
Sta 13 New 1514 Ronald Drive Land acquired. Construction funds to be requested in FY20.   
Sta 14 Relocate 3510 Harden Road Site work started in July. Expected completion in summer/fall 2019. See photos.
Sta 15 Renovate 1815 Spring Forest Road Sprinkler system added in 2017. Design ongoing and bid to correspond with completion of Station 11 renovation/expansion project.
Sta 22 Relocate 10050 Durant Road Relocating Engine 22 to temp facility at Falls of Neuse water plant by November 2018. Ladder 5 to relocate to Sta 25. Design process underway for new station.
Sta 23 Relocate Pinecrest & Westgate area Land acquisition funding to be requested in future budget year. Lease renewed for five additional years with Durham Highway FD. 

Continue reading ‘Raleigh Fire Facility Updates – Summer 2018’ »

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Garner Fire Administration Moves

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The Garner Fire Department has relocated their administrative offices. They moved into new space this month at 914 7th Avenue, a town building that previously served as a temporary town hall, while the new one was being built.

Their new HQ as built in 1997 and has 18,072 square-feet, say tax records. Previously a commercial property, used for medical offices and a bank. They relocated from 120 E. Main Street, a location they occupied since February 2016. (See prior blog posting.) They moved into the new location on July 1.

The new and significantly larger space (approximately 10,000 feet, upgraded from less than 2,000 square feet) allows the department to house all of their administrative staff, logistical supplies, uniforms, physical files, and fire prevention supplies under one roof.

They’ve also added a secondary training room, so administrative needs don’t compete with operational training programs. And they now have space dedicated for plans for review, for both town and county technical review processes. 

Housed at and using the space are the Fire Chief, Deputy Chief, Assistant Chief, Battalion Shift, Executive Assistant, the part-time Administrative Assistant, and any light-duty personnel. 

Props to Chiefs Poole, Herman, Lindsey; Captain Smith, and Aerial Smith for their work on the project. They were all involved in creating and designing the space. 

The new location also adds another component to the town campus concept. The Town Hall, the Wake County library, Garner Police, and Garner Fire are all within walking distance from each other.

Click to enlarge these photos, from Google Maps and Garner Fire-Rescue:

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Recap, Slides, Audio – Fairview Station Closure – Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – July 19, 2018

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Edit history: Updated text references and file name of handout in the linked materials. They were provided by a concerned citizen, and not by the Fairview FD as originally noted. (July 21)

July 20, 2018
Audio recording (by Legeros) plus presentation slides (Wake County, Garner FD) and handouts (Wake County, concerned citizen) are available here.

Last night’s fire commission meeting consisted largely of presentations, public comments, and discussion about a single agenda item: a proposed concept of closing Fairview Station 2 and realigning their insurance district for a new Garner fire station. 

There were some 75 people attending, an unusually large crowd. Plus three television cameras. Google for news stories. 

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The (Somewhat) Short Version

Here’s a summary of that proposal:

The Garner town limits on the west/southwest side of town extend to the intersection of Ten Ten Road and Highway 401. Though it’s a small area, the town’s extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) is much larger, and covers a larger area north of Ten Ren Road, and east of Lake Wheeler Road. Here’s a map, from 2017. 

The town and the Garner Fire Department (currently a private entity) have been planning for / projecting the need for a fire station in that area since 2010. The town expanded their ETJ, as noted above, into that area in 2016/2017.

Continue reading ‘Recap, Slides, Audio – Fairview Station Closure – Wake County Fire Commission Meeting – July 19, 2018’ »

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History of Wake County Fire Protection and Fire Governance

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What’s the history of fire protection in Wake County, as well as the governance of that fire protection? Have been thinking about that this week, in advance of tonight’s Wake County Fire Commission meeting. 

Here’s a research document (PDF) with those details. Created in 2016.

Looking through the fresh eyes, there are a couple things that need attention. Such as showing the size of the Fire Marshal’s Office / Fire Services Department over time. Say, number of authorized positions for each fiscal year. Also worth adding the specific year that county-contracted fire departments were required to submit itemized budgets. That was in the… 2000s? 

Historical High Points

  • 1952 – First rural service in Apex.
  • 1954 – First full-time county Civil Defense director hired. Role becomes EM director, and assumes role of county fire marshal.
  • 1955 – Wake County Firemen’s Association former.
  • 1956, by this year – County rural FD program created.
  • 1958 – County-wide, two-way radio network created for FDs.
  • 1963 – Wake County Fire Chief’s Council created.
  • 1972 – County FD dispatching transferred from Raleigh to new city/county 911 center.
  • 1978, by this time – Wake County Fire Districts Commission is operating.
  • 1985 – County fire training center completed in New Hill.
  • 1986 – First full-time county Fire Marshal hired.
  • 1988 – First countywide training program begins.
  • 1994 – TriData study of county fire protection received, includes recommendation for creating a fire advisory board.
  • 1998 – Wake County Fire Commission created, as advisory board to County Commissioners.
  • 1999 – Individual fire tax districts consolidated into single countywide district.
  • 2002 – County ownership of FD facilities introduced, with FVFD Station 3 opened.
  • 2003 – TriData study of county fire/EMS facilities and equipment receives, includes recommendation for closing a number of county stations.
  • 2005 – County ownership of FD apparatus introduced, along with bulk purchasing.
  • 2008 – First (and to date, only) fire station closure, Western Wake Station 2.
  • 2009 – First county fire recruit class graduates.
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Oak Island Fire Departments Family Tree – Long Beach, Yaupon Beach, Oak Island, Southport, Fort Caswell

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New history chart! 

Fire departments of Oak Island in Brunswick County:

  • Fort Caswell
  • Long Beach
  • Yaupon Beach
  • Oak Island
  • Southport

This one’s a little less complete than usual. Done entirely through remote research. And includes a few standing question. Will revise as more info is found. See earlier posting about these departments and their histories. 

View chart: jpg|  pdf

See more charts

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Charlotte Rescue and First Aid Squad – Annual Report, 1953

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From page 51 of the previously posted Charlotte Fire Department annual report of calendar year 1953, here’s a neat summary of the rescue squad organization’s activities, members, and assets. Their equipment included three iron lungs!

The Charlotte Rescue and First Aid Squad was a private corporation that was chartered in July 1947. They were one of the oldest in the state, preceded only by Winston-Salem Rescue Squad, chartered in February 1947. 

What’s the later history of the organization? Good question! Maybe readers can help.

Click to enlarge:

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Charlotte Fire Department Annual Reports – 1937, 1953

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For your Sunday reading, annual reports of the Charlotte Fire Department for the calendar years 1937 and 1953.

Lots of interesting information and great hand-drawn graphics. The 1953 report also includes hand-drawn pictures of each front-line apparatus!

Scanned from bound copies at Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina, during a recent visit.

Read the reports: 1937 (PDF, 9MB) | 1953 (PDF, 7MB)

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Chapel Hill Fire Station 2 – History of the Original

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Chapel Hill’s new Fire Station 2 was dedicated on Saturday. The two-story, 11,246 square-foot engine house was opened in May. See photos.

It’s the ten-years-in-the-making result of a public and private partnership between the town, the county, and a private developer. 

Built on the site of the original 1959 fire station on Hamilton Road, it houses an engine and ladder company, along with a county EMS unit. 

Here’s a look back at the original building’s history. It’s pulled from recent research by Mike Legeros, who’s been diving deep this spring (and summer) into Chapel Hill’s fire history.

2018-07-15-chfdPhoto credits, left to right, top to bottom: Roland Giduz/UNC Collection, Chapel Hill Fire Department, Lee Wilson, Mike Legeros

Pre-History – 1950 to 1956

1950 – Glen Lennox Apartments open, a planned residential community on the east side of town, with 314 units. It’s were located outside the corporate limits and is protected by a community-created (or developer-provided?) volunteer fire department. Source: Legeros blog.

1952 – Glen Lennox shopping center opens, the first for the town and believed to be the second in the state. Source: Glen Lennox history. 

1953, April 11 – New pumper delivered to town, 1953 American LaFrance 700 Series, 750/110. The $16,180 apparatus is bought with joint funds from the town and the University. It’s later the original Engine 2, when Station 2 opens in 1959.

Continue reading ‘Chapel Hill Fire Station 2 – History of the Original’ »

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