Raleigh Fire Calls During Hurricane Hazel in 1954

In October 1954, a much smaller version of the Raleigh Fire Department answered dozens of calls as Hurricane Hazel passed across the state. The department–with seven engine companies and two truck companies–had one of their busiest weekends ever, said newspapers. For four decades, Hazel was recognized as the benchmark of tropical weather in this part …

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Facts and Figures about North Carolina Fallen Firefighters

Posting created July 2022 Last updated June 2023 This is a blog version of an earlier Facebook posting. Random data play. Facts and figures about the 333 names on the North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Memorial, from research by Legeros. Contents – Career vs. Volunteer vs. Part-Time – Causes – Counties with Highest Counts – Departments …

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Excelsior Fire Companies

How many black volunteer fire companies named Excelsior served in our state, back in the day? It appears just three. Shown are Durham (top), Greensboro (middle), and Rocky Mount (bottom). See below for details. Companies Durham Excelsior Hook and Ladder Company Housed at 201 Pine Street, now South Roxboro Street Served from mid-1880s to 1909 …

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Harper J. Elam and the Little Giant Fire Company

Guest post by Tom Link, retired Charlotte battalion chief and history buff For those of us who have loved the fire service, we have a special admiration for those firefighters who came before us, the men who built the organizations and established what would become hallowed traditions. For me, the appeal of the fire service …

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Ten Year History Update

This posting is a work in progress. Last updated February 19, 2022. On December 31, 2012, the City of Raleigh Fire Department ended its 100th year of service as a career organization. It was staffed with 575 authorized positions and a budget of $50,483,534. They operated twenty-seven fire stations with twenty-eight engines, eight ladders, three …

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Sherwood Brockwell Biography

On Tuesday, August 16, 1955, at the sixty-eighth annual convention of the North Carolina State Firemen’s Association, a portrait of the late, longtime state fire marshal Sherwood Brockwell was unveiled by his granddaughter, Mary Louise Joslin, daughter of Louise Brockwell Joslin and A. L. Joslin of Danville, VA. The portrait was presented to the NCSFA …

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Auxiliary Trucks During the Forties

Contents Introduction Durham’s Auxiliary Trucks Wilmington’s Auxiliary Trucks Sources Introduction How many cities in North Carolina operated “auxiliary trucks” in the 1940s and later? Show are trucks from Wilmington, Raleigh, and Durham.  The top photo, from a photocopy, appears in Wilmington Fire Department 1897-1985. More  on their auxiliary trucks below. The middle photo is Raleigh’s 1948 …

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SAFRE 2021 – The 100 Year Report

One-hundred years and two weeks ago, the 34th annual convention of the North Carolina State Firefighter’s Association opened in Gastonia (pop. 12,871 in 1920). The three-day event was preceded by a reception for delegates and visiting tournament teams on Monday, August 22. The convention formally opened at 11:00 a.m. the following day, at the Gaston …

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One Truck, Two Trucks, Yellow Trucks & More – Solving a Mystery at the Airport

June 29, 2021 And, finally, here are new old photos showing both CB3000 crash trucks at the CFR station at the same time. Proof positive of what’s explained below. Sid Meier photos, scanned from film prints. Sid Meier photos May 11, 2016 Let’s solve a mystery. Did the airport fire department have one or two …

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