After 47 Years of Service, Apex EMS is Ending

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Last week, the town of Apex announced that their EMS service is ending on June 30. Wake County EMS will begin providing service to the town, and Apex EMS will be dissolved as a town department. See the announcement below.

Apex Volunteer Rescue Squad was organized in 1971. Their first vehicle was a 1956 Pontiac Superior ambulance and their volunteer members served a town population of 2,000. They soon added two more ambulances, a 1972 Chevy van and a 1973 Chevrolet/Superior.

By the end of the decade, rescue services had started. The first “crash truck” was a Chevrolet C-30 “Squad 51” style truck equipped with a Hurst tool and other gear.

Apex Rescue operated out of the town hall until 1974, when their own quarters were completed at 315 W. Williams Street. The building–since expanded–has served as  their headquarters since that time.

The organization evolved over the decades. Their first full-time employee was hired in 1977, to answer calls during daytime hours.  They started paramedic services in 1993. They had also ended free transport services by that time. They and the other county squads began charging for patient transport in 1991. 

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Later History

In 1997, the organization was renamed Apex Emergency Medical Services, Inc. Two years earlier, or abouts, the squad had discontinued rescue services. In 2010, Apex EMS merged with the town, and became part of the fire department.

In 2011, a proposal was made to turn EMS over to Wake County. The proposal was rejected. Apex EMS instead separated from Apex Fire and began operating as a separate town department. Corporate disillusion of the private non-profit was also filed that year. 

In 2017, the Apex Community Auxiliary disbanded, after 45 years of service to the squad. They were formed in 1972, organized by spouses of squad volunteers. They conducted fundraisers, held special events, and performed numerous support functions. 

Read this blog posting about the group and how they disbursed their remaining funds to several community groups.

Read a history of Apex EMS on Mr. Blogger’s EMS history page.

See historical photos of Apex EMS on the History of EMS in Wake County Facebook page.

Town Announcement

Here’s the announcement from the town, posted as a press release link expired:https://www.apexnc.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=306].  

Change Ahead for EMS Service

Effective June 30, 2018, Apex residents will be served by Wake County Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and Apex EMS will be dissolved as a department within the Town of Apex. This decision was made at the direction of Apex town administration, with the full support of Wake County management, taking into consideration the rich history of Apex EMS, the employment of our EMS staff, and our fiscal responsibility to Apex residents.

How EMS has Evolved
Formed in 1971, Apex EMS was first organized as a group of volunteers, similar to most departments in the county. Most of these volunteer departments then gradually converted into professional paid organizations. Over time, all but 4 of the original 10 paid organizations have either combined to form a larger organization or have become a part of the Wake County Department of Emergency Medical Services. There are no other municipal-based EMS services in the county. The other partner organizations are Cary Area EMS and Eastern Wake EMS, both of which are not-for-profit organizations.

What’s Next for Our Employees
Apex EMS paramedics will be given the opportunity to work for Wake County EMS, with no reduction in salary. They will not be required to compete against other applicants for these jobs. Employees will, however, be required to go through the onboarding process with Wake County.

Level of Care
Wake County EMS develops standards of practice and treatment guidelines for all EMS providers within the Wake County EMS System. Therefore, Apex residents will continue to experience the same high level of care they receive today.

Fiscal Responsibility
One of the primary factors in transitioning to Wake EMS is that of fiscal responsibility to Apex citizens. There will be a cost savings due to the elimination of redundant administrative positions, as well as associated facility and supply costs. We’re also aware of plans by NCDOT to widen NC55, which will result in the loss of the Town of Apex EMS station. The cost to build that facility in a different location would be much greater if the town retained EMS services separate from Wake County’s department.

EMS Donated Funds
The town currently maintains about $76,000 in donated funds to Apex EMS. A volunteer board will be created to manage those funds in a way that honors the history of the department.

Questions regarding this information can be directed to Drew Havens, Apex Town Manager, at (919) 249-3301 or by email.

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New Rosenbauer Deliveries for Wake County

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Recent new deliveries from Rosenbauer for Wake County. Pics courtesy of C. W. Williams, via their Facebook page.

New Tanker – Fuquay-Varina

Wow! New custom-cab tanker for Fuquay-Varina Fire Department. First of a new tanker spec for Wake County. 2000 gallons, 500 GPM. Delivered but not in service yet. Wake Forest is/has also received one.

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New Fairview Engine 1

Here’s Fairview’s new Engine 1. 2018 Rosenbauer pumper-tanker, 1500/1000, with six-man cab. Already in service and caught a working fire with Swift Creek in its first 24 hours!

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New Durham Highway Pumper 162

And here’s Durham Highway’s new Pumper 1962. Recently delivered 2018 Rosenbauer pumper-tanker, 1500/1000. Planned to be placed in service on May 14. 

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Wake County Fire Commission Meeting Cancelled – May 17, 2018

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The Wake County Fire Commission meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 17, 2018, has been cancelled.

The next Wake County Fire Commission meeting will take place, Thursday, July 19, 2018.

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Cary’s New Engine 2

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Factory photo of Cary’s new Engine 2. Another shorter wheelbase pumper, similar (near identical?) to last year’s Engine 5. It’s a 2018 Pierce Enforcer, 1500/500. And with another New York-style low hose bed. 

See larger versions.

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Ladies Auxiliary Scrapbooks… Digitized!

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The Raleigh Fire Museum has partnered with DigitalNC to present scrapbooks as created by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Raleigh Fire Fighters Association.

The books were photographed and indexed last month at Wilson Library at UNC. They’re now available for digital viewing.

The auxiliary was formed in 1952, by wives of Raleigh firefighters. They created scrapbooks from 1951 to 1972, recording their group’s activities as well as news and events about the fire department.

Learn more about the ladies auxiliary in this short history. And for other historical groups interested in participating in DigitalNC, learn more.

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Vintage Photo of Wilkinson Boulevard Ambulance, 1976

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Found this in the November-December 1976 issue of Hose & Nozzle magazine. Ambulance operated by Wilkinson Boulevard Fire Department in Mecklenburg County. [ Was that typical or atypical of Meck departments at the time? Operating squads? ]

WBFD was one of the first rural fire departments in North Carolina. They operated from 1943 to 1984, when they consolidated with Moores Chapel FD to create West Mecklenburg FD.

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Chapel Hill Town Minutes – 1896 to 1922

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Presenting a deep-dive into Chapel Hill FD history, via a transcription of town minutes excerpts [both exact and paraphrased]**, originally recorded in typewritten form. Date of original unknown. Likely compiling all references to fires and fire protection, from the first decades of the town’s governance. Photographed from a copy in the CHFD archives, with optical character recognition via software prior to hand-corrections. Consider all typos mine!

** September 4, 2018 – Legeros subsequently compared these excerpts with the originally handwritten minutes. They are not always an exact match, and, in places, are missing a word, or have incorrectly interpreted a detail. May updated in the future, with annotations. 

HISTORY OF FIRE DEPARTMENT

BOOK I – Page 630 – March 2, 1896

A petition of certain citizens proposed to operate a Fire Company if equipped by the Town was read & laid on the table. The project was looked on with favour but the municipal year was near its end with no funds, so it was thought not necessary to agitate the matter.

BOOK II – Page 76 – September 23, 1901

Board authorized the Finance Committee to purchase for the town a hook & ladder outfit for fire protection – the same to cost not exceeding $200.00. Town also authorized to provide a suitable place for housing it and the 2 reels of hose to be supplied by the University & a part of the fire protection outfit for joint use of Town & University.

May 12, 1902 – P.96

First Fire Chief: John O’Daniel elected. Also Fire Commission: W. S. Roberson, A.A. Kluttz & W. W. Pickard.

May 30, 1902 – P. 103

A fire limit established in view of the fact that no wooden buildings be erected except with approval of the Board of Aldermen.

July 14, 1902 – P.107

J. D. Webb submitted plans to Fire Committee for approval. Permit granted to Webb & Lloyd to erect a building in accordance with plans submitted.

Note: Plan sketch attached to P.107: 1 or 2 stories high, on Franklin Street. To be built of good brick & glass; tin roof; concrete floor in both stories. 30 or 40 ft high.

September 26, 1902 – P.112

Permission granted S. J. Brockwell to build a privy on his premises under the direction of the Fire Committee.

March 2, 1903 – P.119

Moved & seconded that a committee be appointed to confer with J. F. Maddry concerning a settlement on fire wagon, & to report back to Board. W. S. Roberson & W. W. Pickard appointed as Committee.

April 6, 1903 – P.120

J. Frank Maddry bid 190.00 for hook & ladder outfit.

Continue reading ‘Chapel Hill Town Minutes – 1896 to 1922’ »

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Chapel Hill Airport Burns – January 11, 1941

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From the Daily Tar Heel, January 12, 1941, via Digital NC / North Carolina Newspapers:

Airport Burns; Seven CAA Planes Destroyed

Defective Wiring Attributed Cause

By Bucky Harward

All ten airplanes and the hangar at the University airport were completely demolished last night between 7 and 8 o’clock by a fire which resulted from a short circuit and caused an estimated damage of $10,000 to $11,000.

The blaze started in the cockpit of a plane on which Bill Sharkey, an assistant mechanic, was working, quickly spread to the other planes in the hangar, ignited gas tanks and two drums of fuel oil, and within 30 minutes reduced the hangar and airplanes to smoking, twisted steel.

University officials promised last night that “the University flight training program will be resumed as soon as possible.”

Entirely alone at the airport, Sharkey, 18-year-old son of an instructor, was removing the gas tank from one of the new Piper Cubs. He deposited an electric droplight, connected by an extension cord to the wall of the hangar, on the cockpit seat from which the cushions had been removed.

Fire Starts

While working on the engine at the front of the ship, he noticed the reflections of flames on the wall of the hangar. Seeing flames spreading from the cockpit to the right wing and realizing that the highly inflammable fabric was burning too fast to use any of the available chemical extinguishers, he ran to remove the plane nearest the door 20 feet outside the hanger.

By the time he returned to the remove the first plane which now had space to reach the door, the flame had spread over its fuselage and wings so that it could not be gripped. Another of the closely-group ships had caught fire which fed rapidly on the tinder-like fabric.

Seeing that nothing else could possibly be done in the hangar, he ran out to find that the plane removed had either caught fire from sparks or the intense heat. The gas drained from the first plane [then] exploded within the hangar and the other tanks followed rapidly. While the explosions were still occurring, Sharkey phoned for the fire department from the office shack on the side of the hangar and began to drag out the parachutes.

Instructor Jesse Lassiter arrived and started to help him. Remembering that highly explosive acetylene tanks were just inside the hangar, Sharkey shouted a warning and the two ran a safe distance. Probably because of a cracked valve, the acetylene tanks failed to ignite, but the plane tanks were still exploding. The instructor and assistant had to stand by “while everything just went.”

Spectators began to gather and stayed to watch the fire die down. Since no water was available for fighting the blaze and the fire was too great to be extinguished by chemicals, the town fire department did not answer the call.

Seven of the ten planes were Piper Cub trainers belonging to the University. Three had been purchased only six weeks ago. The remaining three planes were privately owned. The University planes [that] one of those students owned are insured. Absolutely nothing is salvagable except possibly the motor of the plane removed.

Nothing remains of the hangar but the melted beams of the steel framework and the concrete foundation. The wooden weather boarding collapsed even before the composition roof caved in.

Several other items were lost in the fire. Two 50-gallon drums of fuel oil and the acetylene tanks aided the blaze. A $350 transit and other surveying instructions, a great number of WPA tools, grading notes and the original field drawing, all of which are being used in the recently begun $208,000 WPA project, were totally destroyed. Other equipment and mechanics’ tools were lost tool. Grading plans and the log books of several instructors were demolished, but had already been transcribed for the most part.

The small house directly behind the hangar contained student flight statistics and escaped the flames. As an extra precaution, the valuable records were brought into town and several men with fire extinguishers were stationed all last night to prevent flying sparks from igniting the house.

University officials did not give an accurate estimate of the damage last night.

Thirty-four of the 38 students enrolled in the fall training were supposed to complete the course by February 1 when 50 others are scheduled to begin flying.

 

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