Random historical image. Winston-Salem’s “short” snorkel in action. Was a 75-foot FWD/Baker/Pittman, model year 1964. List of NC snorkels here: https://legeros.com/blog/snorkels-in-north-carolina/
From Hose & Nozzle magazine, March-April 1976.
The long-awaited Pullen Road extension opened yesterday. Here’s a city news release about the $3.8M project that extends Pullen Road to Centennial Campus Parkway, by way of a new roundabout at Bilyeu Street.
But did you know that Avent Ferry Road originally ran through there, and connected with Western Boulevard just east of Pullen Road? Below is a historical perspective, showing maps from 1948 to present.
Catholic Orphanage and Cry Baby Lane
The area was known as Nazareth and was originally the site of Raleigh’s Catholic Orphanage, which operated until the early 1970s. Here’s a WRAL story about the facility.
And a fatal fire in 1905, at a dormitory for seminary students, inspired the later legend of “Cry Baby Lane,” a nearby road upon which visitors purportedly hear the screaming of children and smell smoke. Read this Legeros blog post for more.
Or see this Hidden Raleigh site.
Historical Perspective
Maps from then and now, with annotations. Click to enlarge:
Here’s a historical treat.
Tabular data of the state’s black fire companies in 1905, in Concord, Durham, Edenton, Elizabeth City, Greenville, Henderson, Monroe, Oxford, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Salisbury, Statesville, Tarboro, Warrenton, Washington, Wilson, and Winston-Salem.
Click to enlarge:
These pages are from digitized conference proceedings of the North Carolina State Volunteer Firemen’s Association. They were the state’s black firefighter association, organized in 1888 or 1889, and chartered in 1891.
(Though one of the earliest recorded conventions of state firemen was in 1873, called for all colored firemen in state by members of fire companies in Raleigh, Fayetteville, New Bern, and Wilmington, was held in Raleigh at the Victor Fire Company hall.)
UNC-Charlotte has digitized a handful of these proceeding books, from 1905 to 1923. They’re noted as loaned by the Charlotte Fire Department.
Each book is about 45 pages long, and contains conference notes, the names of the member fire companies, rules on the conference tournaments, and more.
Hugely useful, as this historian hasn’t found hardly any surviving documents about the NCSVFA.
View those documents at http://digitalcollections.uncc.edu/cdm/search/collection/p16033coll1.
View the UNC-Charlotte’s digital collections landing page at https://library.uncc.edu/atkins/digitalcollections
Here’s Mike’s master page of information about the NCSVFA (and its then-white counterpart, the NCSFA) at https://legeros.com/history/fa/
Here’s Mike’s hosted history of black firefighters in North Carolina, as originally researched by the late Chuck Milligan, https://legeros.com/history/ebf
This posting is an expanded version of an article that first appeared in the fall 2018 issue of the Raleigh Fire Department Newsletter.
New Rescue, New Quarters
The City of Raleigh Fire Department recently placed a new heavy rescue in service, a 2018 Pierce Arrow XT that was custom-designed by department members. The truck was placed in service at Station 15 on October 3. Five days later, it was moved to its new home at Station 16.
The $940,000 truck took about twelve weeks to build. It started production in April, and received its final inspection the last week of July. (Before its formal delivery in September, it visited Raleigh for an appearance at the South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo.)
It replaces a smaller 2007 Pierce Enforcer heavy rescue. Benefits of the new truck and its walk-in body style are numerous, beginning with the very design.
The five-member project committee spent 15 months designing the truck down to each individual tool tray and compartment.
“There was a lot of wasted space on the old truck,” says Lt. Shawn Burns (R1-A). “Such as up high in the transverse compartments. We also couldn’t mount equipment on the slide-out transverse tray.”
He adds, “Most of the equipment is now mounted and has a place. Before, lots of equipment was laying on top of each other. This led to damage in transport, and increased time getting the tools off the truck and in use.”
“It’s also much easier to check and service equipment on a daily basis now,” Burns adds.
Six Feet Longer
The new rescue has a longer body—25 ½ feet compared to 19—and can carry more gear, such as trench panels, ground pads, and air shores used for trench rescue.
Continue reading ‘Building a Better Rescue’ »
Here’s some surprising news. Local legislation has been introduced to the North Carolina General Assembly, to remove the Fairview (Ten Ten) Fire District from the governance and jurisdiction of Wake County. It was introduced on November 28 by Representative Nelson Dollar.
Read the text of the House Bill (broken).
Recall that the department has been strongly critical of a recent county proposal, to close Fairview Station 2 at a future date, and deliver service to that district from a new Garner fire station.
This posting has also been posted on the Facebook side, with this discussion prompt: Readers, please unpack and react. Curious on thoughts on (a.) what will happen and (b.) what this bodes for the future of Wake County fire governance.
Reference Materials
On Wednesday night, December 5, twenty-seven new firefighters will join the ranks of the Raleigh Fire Department. Recruit Academy 43 will graduate in a ceremony at 7:00 p.m. at the Fletcher Opera Theater in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South Street.
The new firefighters have completed 32-weeks of classroom, practical and physical fitness training. Each of them will be certified by the State of North Carolina as a Firefighter Level II, Emergency Medical Technician, and Hazardous Materials Responder I.
See photos of the recruits in action.
Class of 2018
Back row:
Fourth row:
Third row:
Second row:
Front row:
Class Portrait
The recruits were photographed on the Boylan Street bridge on October 4. Click to enlarge:
Family Connections
Other Fire Department Connections
December 2
Log book excerpts added at bottom of posting.
November 25
Development is comin’ to the Capital Boulevard corridor inside the Beltline. Or, perhaps, more development. The Gateway Plaza shopping center, built in 1968, is planned for Big Things.
Here are a couple news stories on same, from the Triangle Business Journal (2016) and News & Observer[1] (2018). And, as of this month, demolition of the parking lot is underway.
[1] Link now broken, https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article213801709.html
But did you know that the shopping center once burned, in one of Raleigh’s few strip mall fires?
Fire Through The Roof
December 3, 1987. Dispatched about 12:10 a.m. Crews from two stations responded, reported that day’s Raleigh Times. Presuming Engine 7, Engine 11, and Truck 11, by that time an aerial ladder company. (The city’s fourth, recently activated.) Fire through the roof on arrival.
Presuming that a second alarm was called. From news photos, a second aerial company was there, the 1977 Mack/Baker Aerialscope. (Mike’s notes say Truck 8 was operating same by December 1987. Seems more likely it was running as Truck 1. Or, perhaps, a third ladder was special-called to the scene. Need to consult the old log books.)
Thirty-five firefighters “worked through the night”, said District Chief Jonny Sandy. One firefighter was injured, Captain Wade Boyette, when “spots of hot tar” from melted roofing materials fell onto his hands. Several other firefighters were also struck by falling tar, but were not injured.
Several Shops and Businesses Damaged
Six shops and businesses were gutted by the blaze: Personnel Pool Temporary Services, J. R. Lee Electric Company, a shoe shop, a dentist office, a cosmetics office (Avon), and an accountant’s office. Another was heavily damaged, Radio Reading Services, a broadcast service that read the newspaper to some 500 sight-impaired listeners.
Others suffered smoke damage: Eckerd’s drug store, Colorcraft photo processing, the African Supermarket and Gift Shop, and the Gateway restaurant. (Need to find a phone book from the era, and add the listings here.)
The center section of the building’s roof caved in, though the businesses located at either end of the “L”-shaped building were the ones that “escaped with smoke damage.”
Fire officials received reports that two doors were open at the back of the shopping center, when firefighters arrived. They would investigate whether the businesses had been broken into, but Chief Sandy told reporters he didn’t see any evidence of a break-in, looting, or arson. Though he noted “we concentrated all our efforts on extinguishing the fire.”
No Evidence of Arson
The investigation into the fire cause was conducted by a team led by Fire Captain Dudley L. Gill. He estimated at least $250,000 of structural damage had been suffered. The property was owned by Meredith College, which received the site as a donation several years ago by Raleigh developer Seby Jones, who built the shopping center.
The following day, the Raleigh Times reported that investigators had ruled out arson. The fire apparently started in the ceiling, and was most likely electrical in cause. The City-County Bureau of Identification also spent the day looking into the fire, and found no evidence of any break-in before the fire.
Recent Property History
From Wake County real estate records, recent deed transfers:
The site has 6.77 acres and three one-story buildings totaling about 76,000 square-feet.
Sources
Log Book Entries
| 12/3 | Car 51 | (none) | Fire Crabtree Blvd. Code 3. |
| 12/3 | R7 | 0007 | R-7 to 2400 Crabtree Blvd. (structure fire). R-7 assisted eng. co. at fire. |
| 12/3 | Sta 11 | 0007 | Eng and Trk 11 went to Gateway Plaza to a building fire. Tic. No. 8627. Trk 11 set up and ladder pipe used. Eng 11 used 400’ of 2 ½” and 3” hose. Personnel from Sta 15 relieved Eng 11 and we got 10-8 as Eng 11 at 0406. Eng 11 and all equipment was left at fire scene. |
| 12/3 | Sta 7 | 0007 | Eng 7 responded to 2400 blk of Crabtree Blvd. Gate-Way Plaza Shopping Center, found fire coming through roof. Laid lines from fire to hydrant, corner of Timber Dr. & Crabtree Blvd. Proceeded to extinguish fire at rear of shopping center. Eng 11 & Truck responded to front of shopping [center]. Eng 7 called in for a second alarm to the fire. Proceeded to fight fire. 9 + 13 + T12 + R6 was sent on second alarm. Eng 7 was relieved by Eng 6. We drove Engine 6 back to station & left Engine 7 at fire. Rear door was open. |
| 12/3 | Sta 7 | 0010 | Eng 7 10-23. |
| 12/3 | Sta 1 | 0013 | Eng 13 & Truck #1 responded to Gateway Plaza – Structure fire – Second alarm. Truck #1 left one 28’ extension ladder at fire scene. |
| 12/3 | Sta 9 | 0013 | Eng 9 to Gateway Plaza N. Blvd. structure fire 2nd. alarm. |
| 12/3 | Sta 9 | 0018 | Eng 9 10-23 working fire. |
| 12/3 | R6 | 0022 | R-6 to Gateway Plaza 10-70. Used air packs and crowbar. |
| 12/3 | Sta 12 | 0105 | T-12 respond to North Blvd & Crabtree to relieve firemen that was already on the scene. Use three Scott air pack. |
| 12/3 | Car 53 | 0115 | Car 53 filling in at Station #1. |
| 12/3 | R6 | 0335 | R-6 10-8. |
| 12/3 | Sta 1 | 0400 | Eng #1 responded to Gateway Plaza. |
| 12/3 | Sta 11 | 0406 | Eng 11 10-8 |
| 12/3 | Sta 15 | 0410 | Eng 15 & Trk 15 to 2400 Crabtree Blvd. Eng 15 & Trk 15 relieved E-11 & E-7, T-11. |
| 12/3 | Sta 6 | 0410 | Engine Six responded to 2400 Crabtree Blvd. |
| 12/3 | Sta 6 | 0418 | Engine Six 10-23. Working fire. |
| 12/3 | Sta 11 | 0426 | Trk 15 relieved Trk 11 and Trk 11 got 10-8. One 8’ pike pole left at scene. One axe handle broken at the fire. |
| 12/3 | Sta 12 | 0433 | T-12 10-8 |
| 12/3 | Sta 1 | 0440 | Truck #1 10-8 |
| 12/3 | Sta 7 | 0450 | Eng 7 10-8. |
| 12/3 | R7 | 0457 | R-7 10-08. |
| 12/3 | Sta 7 | 0503 | Eng 7 back in station. |
| 12/3 | Sta 9 | 0667 | Eng 9 10-8. |
| 12/3 | Sta 6 | 0728 | Engine Six 10-8. |
| 12/3 | Sta 15 | 0746 | Eng 15 10-8. |
| 12/3 | Sta 15 | 0750 | C shift Tr.15 crew relieving A shift. |
| 12/3 | Car 53 | 0800 | Car 53 responded for 51 & 53. Have two men Marshburn & Kimbell working 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. fire scene. |
| 12/3 | Sta 7 | 0800 | C shift on duty. G. R. Bagwell on vac. All other personnel went to fire scene (2400 Crabtree). |
| 12/3 | Car 52 | 0915 | Chief Sandy relieved from C52 due to fire. |
| 12/3 | Sta 11 | 0930 | E-11 to Station 7 for 38 gal fuel. Stopped by fire scene and got 14’ roof ladder. |
| 12/3 | Sta 9 | 1000 | D. Chief Beasley picked up hose washer. |
| 12/3 | Sta 11 | 1010 | T-11 to Station 2 to get fuel and gas. |
| 12/3 | Sta 11 | 1100 | T-11 back in station. |
| 12/3 | Sta 11 | 1230 | T-11 & E-11 to Gateway Plaza to stand by. |
| 12/3 | Sta 15 | 1239 | Tr. 15 10-8. |
| 12/3 | Sta 11 | 1400 | T-11 back in station. |
| 12/3 | Sta 9 | 1800 | Chief Hunnicutt returned 1 air-pack Eng 9. |
| 12/3 | Sta 7 | 1830 | Eng 7 was returned to Sta 7 and reloaded. |
| 12/3 | Sta 11 | 1900 | E-11 back in station. |
| 12/3 | Car 52 | 1920 | T12 manned and sent to Gateway Shopping Center fire scene to stand by 1920-2400 |
| 12/3 | Sta 15 | 2345 | Jay Faison to Crabtree Blvd. fire. |
| 12/4 | Car 52 | 0001 | T12 returned to #12. Light trailer remained at fire scene. |
| 12/4 | Sta 6 | 0315 | W. R. Marshburn detailed to fire watch at Gateway Plaza fire scene until 0800. |
| 12/4 | Sta 15 | 0415 | Jay Faison back. |
| 12/4 | Sta 7 | 0800 | C Patterson to 2400 Crabtree Blvd, to stand-by scene of fire. |
| 12/4 | Sta 7 | 0900 | Eng 7 to 2400 Crabtree Blvd. |
| 12/4 | Sta 7 | 1155 | Eng 7 back to Station 7 |
| 12/4 | Sta 7 | 1220 | Eng 7 10-8 with Eng 11 – left Eng 7 at fire scene. |
| 12/4 | R7 | 1602 | R-7 to 2400 Crabtree Blvd. 10-70 alarm. |
| 12/4 | Sta 11 | 1602 | Engine 11, T11 was dispatched to Gateway Plaza Shopping Center along with Engine 7. Was 10-19 by Engine 7 on arrival. |
| 12/4 | Sta 7 | 1602 | Eng 7 responded to 2400 Crabtree Blvd. Checked out building. Nothing found. |
| 12/4 | Sta 7 | 1604 | Eng 7 10-12. |
| 12/4 | Sta 11 | 1606 | Engine 11 Truck 11 10-8. |
| 12/4 | R7 | 1609 | R-7 10-8 10-9 by Eng. 7. |
| 12/4 | Sta 7 | 1627 | Eng 7 10-8. |
| 12/4 | Sta 7 | 1631 | Eng 7 back in station. |
Found in my files, Fire Engineering advertisement from 1930.
Bought on eBay, probably. Pair of “Modern Mack Units” for Goldsboro.
Love the footer, “We shall appreciate you mentioning Fire Engineering when writing advertisers.”
November 19
Looking More Closely…
Let’s revisit our recent postings about the June 16, 1960, apparatus accident that killed Cary firefighter Vernon Thompson. Super-close cropping of the News and Observer images gives clues on the Raleigh FD response to the incident.
Observe what’s seen here. Top is one of the city’s four 1951/1953 ALF 700 pumpers (based on the top warning light), along with one of the two 1960 GMC/Alexander tankers.
Bottom left is the 1939/1916 ALF ladder, which might’ve been Truck 6 by that time. Bottom right is the Raleigh Emergency Rescue Squad’s 1954 GMC panel van. (They were a two-piece company, also operating a 1954 Reo CD rescue.)
Since it’s June 1960 and a couple months after the city expanded to the west, let’s presume that’s Engine 8 from its temporary quarters on Method Road, and Tanker 1, also at Station 8.
At midnight on April 1, 1960, the second engine at Station 1 was moved to the rented house just north of Western Boulevard on then-named Kent Road. Engine 9 (as it was called) was renamed Engine 8.
But wait, Batman, my records say Engine 9 at Station 1 operated a 1958 ALF, with a different style warning light. The mystery deepens. See Mike’s apparatus register for more.
The two tankers, meanwhile, were placed in service at Station 2 on April 1, and at Station 8 by May 19. The city operated the tankers until 1986. As the story goes, one of Chief Pickard’s early actions was retiring the tankers.
As for the ladder truck, that’s another mystery. It was moved to reserve status in 1953. And old-timers remember the thing at Station 6, because a back window had to be removed, ’cause the thing was so long. Was it Truck 6 for a stretch? Or maybe their regular apparatus, the 1922 ALF service truck, was in the shop.
Mysteries, mysteries.
November 17
Locating a Line of Duty Death – Cary, 1960
On June 16, 1960, Cary firefighter Vernon Lee Thompson, 28, was killed, and firefighter Willis Edward (Billy) Henderson, 32, was injured, when their tractor-drawn tanker overturned outside Raleigh. Or, perhaps, inside Raleigh, as the city limits had been extended effective April 1 of that year.
They were responding to a trash fire, near the Camp Polk prison farm on the later-named (and likely only later-paved) Blue Ridge Road. The apparatus overturned while “they were turning from Highway 1 onto a service road that runs between the [Meredith] college property and the State College animal husbandry frame,” as news accounts reported.
Courtesy Raleigh News and Observer, via North Carolina State Archives
Locating the Accident Site Continue reading ‘Locating a Line of Duty Death – Cary, 1960’ »
Note: This page is a placeholder for current and future updates about the proposed concept of closing Fairview Fire Station 2.
November 30, 2018
Legislation Proposed for Fire District
Local legislation has been introduced to the North Carolina General Assembly, to remove the Fairview (Ten Ten) Fire District from the governance and jurisdiction of Wake County. It was introduced on November 28 by Representative Nelson Dollar. Read blog post.
November 15, 2018
Minutes from Fire Commission Meetings
See this document for minutes from the Wake County Fire Commission meetings on July 19 and August 16, which included presentations and discussions about the proposal.
August 21, 2018
Rebuttal to Allegations of Propaganda
From this Facebook post:
Fairview Fire Department Rebuttal To The Allegations of Spreading Propaganda During the Fire Commission Meeting on August 16, 2018
It is very important to us that our citizens, the Fire Commission and others involved in the discussions about the proposal to close Fairview Sta. 2 know we have been truthful. Please see the links below to Fairview’s rebuttal to allegations of spreading propaganda. The first link is to the letter sent out to the Fire Commission, Wake County Commissioners and Wake County Fire Chiefs. Documents are copied to this blog repository.
August 17, 2018
Work Session Update
The Wake County Fire Commission held a work session last night. Though no voting was done, members reached a consensus decision to take the station closure proposal “off of the table.”
Also, Fairview FD made this annotated version of the Q&A document, originally included in the work session agenda pack.
August 12, 2018
Fire Commission Work Session on August 16
The Wake County Fire Commission will continue their discussion, and continue receiving information, about the proposed closure concept.
The work session meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. at the Wake County Emergency Services Education Center, 221 South Rogers Lane, Suite 160, Raleigh.
See meeting documents (PDF), from this blog post about the meeting.
Community Meeting on August 9
On Thursday, August 9, the Fairview Fire Department held a community meeting, to present information and answer questions about the proposed future closure of Fairview Station 2.
The web site citizensforfairviewfd.org has posted both slides and audio from the meeting. They’ve been downloaded and copied here:
Note: Recommend paging through the slides, as Former Fairview Fire Chief Donald Pierce speaks.
Proposed Concept
The proposed concept of closing Fairview Station 2 in a future year, after opening a new Garner fire station, was publicly presented at the July 19, 2018, meeting of the Wake County Fire Commission.
Read a summary in this earlier blog post about that meeting, which includes copies of slides that were presented, a handout provided by a concerned citizen, and an audio recording of the meeting.
