Wake County Fire Departments Family Tree

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Now for some color. Presenting a visual history of our fire departments. Take one.

Still working on a few details. Couple are noted on the chart. Still tweaking the thing as well.

Wish list for future features:

  • First paid members, for each FD.
  • First career members, for each FD.
  • First extrication equipment, for each FD.
  • Year first responder was added, for each FD.

Thanks for everyone’s help with recent fact-checking and memory-poking. Most appreciated.

View as JPG (3.2M) | View as PDF (3.2M) | See more charts.

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UPDATED – Vintage Photo of Sunset Beach Maxim Rescue

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September 10
From reader Micah Bodford as well as this SPAAMFAA Facebook group posting, here’s the history of the rig, as well as four earlier photos. Click to enlarge:


Credits left to right, top to bottom: Jack Wilson; Maxim Factory Photo / Max M. Smith Collection; Tucker Dempsey; Jack Wilson.

  • 1968 Maxim Model 262R, Serial Number 2532.
  • Five Points Fire Company, DE, first owner. Delivered September 12, 1966. Sold circa 1976.
  • Wilmington Manor, DE, second owner, circa 1976 to 1979. They repainted to yellow and purportedly removed the original body. Photos don’t support the latter claim. Sold in 1979.
  • Tenth District, Marbury, MD, third owner. Sold in 1982.
  • Northhampton, PA, fourth owner. Rescue 4241.
  • Rehabbed by Hamerly in 1990s.
  • Sunset Beach, NC, fifth owner.
  • Sold to construction company in Brunswick County area at some point.

September 7
From the files of reader/contributor David Raynor, here’s something we don’t see often in the Old North State.

Maxim rescue truck at Sunset Beach Fire Department. Rescue 1180. Photographed 1995. Looks like a 1960s model. Most certainly served elsewhere. Click to enlarge:

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Upcoming Events – September & October

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Here are some of the upcoming fire department and public safety events in our area:

Sep 10 – Brassfield FD – Annual Chicken & Pork Fundraiser
1680 NC-96, Franklinton
11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Sep 10 – Durham Highway FD Public Safety Day
Leesville Road High School, Raleigh
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Sep 10 – Raleigh Fire Museum monthly opening
105 Keeter Center Drive, Raleigh
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Sep 11 – Morrisville FD – 9/11 Remembrance 5K Run/Walk
Station 1 – 200 Town Hall Drive
7:00 a.m. registration starts – 8:46 a.m. 5K starts
Information

Sep 11 – 9/11 Stair Climb, Allscripts
8529 Six Forks Road, Raleigh
7:30 a.m. registration starts – 9:15 a.m. climb starts
Information

Sep 24 – Cary FD – Fire in the Hole, Chili Cook Off
Fortnight Beer Company, 1006 SW Maynard Rd, Cary
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Raising money for sunscreen dispensers in CFD stations
Information

Sep 26 – Stony Hill FD – Open House
Station 1 – 7045 Stony Hill Road, Wake Forest
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Oct 1 – Garner FD – Fireman’s Day
Station 1 – 503 W. Main Street, Garner
11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., parade at 2:00 p.m.
Information

Oct 2 – Bay Leaf FD – Open House
Station 1 – 11713 Six Forks Road, Raleigh
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

[Cancelled] Oct 8 – 50-210 FD – Fireman’s Day
[Cancelled] Station 1 – 50 Greenleaf Road, Angier

Oct 8 – Creedmoor FD – Fireman’s Day
Parade at 2:30 p.m., followed by stew dinner
Information

Oct 8 – Knightdale FD – Public Safety Day
Station 1 – 930 Steeple Square Court

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Vintage Photos of Fire Department Step Vans

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From the files of reader/contributor David Raynor, here are some fire department step vans of years and decades past. Click to enlarge:

Left to right, top to bottom:

  • Knightdale (Wake County) – 1995
    1990s? Chevy, rescue/equipment truck – #8
  • Goldsboro – May 1996
    Command post – Old Truck 15, a staffed manpower/equipment company.
  • Nashville (Nash) – 1995
    1980s? Ford van – #2
  • High Point – February 1993
    1980s? Chevy van – Mobile command post
  • Angier-Black River (Harnett) – April 1995
    1980s? Chevy van – #981
  • Bethlehem (Alexander) – October 1996
    1980s? Chevy van – #318
  • Swan Quarter (Hyde) – 1995
    1950s? 1960s? Grumman-Olson “kurbside” van
  • EVFD (??) – September 1993
    1950s? Ford? International? with Boyerton body van – #2169

Readers perhaps can help with make/model/year and purpose/function.

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Sniper Attacks North Hills Mall – Memorial Day, 1972

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Last month, our attentions were commanded by a reported shooting and resulting major incident at Crabtree Valley Mall. No gunshot victims were found, but numerous medical emergencies presented during and after the evacuation. The resulting multi-patient incident brought dozens of EMS and fire units to the scene. But did you know that another Raleigh mall experienced a mass shooting over forty years ago?

On Memorial Day in 1972, on May 29, a sniper killed three people and wounded eight others in front of North Hills Mall. (A fourth victim died at the hospital, days later.) The noon-hour shooting lasted just a few minutes. The victims were sitting on benches outside the main entrance, standing at or walking toward the entrance, or driving past the entrance in a car. There was also a US Senator in the line of fire, though the attack was unrelated to his visit.

At about 12:05 p.m., from a spot between two parked cars about fifty feet from the front entrance, a tall man dressed in a suit began shooting in that direction.* He had a .22 caliber rifle and fired in bursts. The gunman was Harvey G. McLeod, a 23-year old Raleigh resident who worked as a high-school janitor. He purchased the rifle that morning.

The twelve victims ranged from three to 77 years of age. They were transported to Rex and Wake Memorial hospitals. Three were dead on arrival. A fourth victim died five days later. The others had injuries ranging from minor to serious.

Though we blogged about this in 2008, let’s take a longer look…

Read the detailed narrative as web page.

Read the detailed narrative as PDF file (2.2MB).

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Vintage Photos of Tankers from Johnston County

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From the files of reader/contributor David Raynor, here’s a quartet of vintage tankers from Johnston and Wake counties. Left to right, top to bottom:

  • West Johnston FD – Tanker 166 – 1960s (?) Dodge – January 1996
  • Clayton FD – Tanker 6 – 1960s (?) IHC – June 1999
  • Wilson Mills FD – Tanker 2 – 1980s (?) Ford – September 1997
  • 50-210 FD – 1970s (?) Chevy C30 – January 1996

Readers can you help? Click to enlarge:

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Raleigh Fire Department Newsletter – Summer 2016

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Here’s the summer issue of the Raleigh Fire DepartmentNewsletter. Tenth year of publication and as posted to www.raleighfirenews.org.

Contents include raising awareness about firefighter suicide, the flooding in July, fire station facility updates, the recruit class graduation, the Class 1 fire protection rating, promotions and appointments, and remembering the Mangel’s fire.

The Raleigh Fire Department Newsletter is a thrice-yearly publication for personnel, retirees, and citizens. The editor is Mike Legeros. Thanks this issue to all content contributors. Read the new issue (PDF).

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Greensboro Bomb Squad Trucks – Then & Now

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Let’s look at some law enforcement special units. Greensboro Police Department and their bomb squad trucks, past ‘n’ present. Reader/contributor David Raynor shares the vintage pictures.

Top picture at the city garage in 1987, with containment equipment mounted on an ex-military 6×6. Bottom picture at the training center in 1991, with containment equipment mounted on a Ford dump truck chassis.

Below those are shots of GPD’s present hazardous devices unit by Yours Truly. Ford F-550 prime mover and a specialty trailer built by ? Photographed in June 2016, at the Guilford County Public Safety Day. See more pictures. Or see Mike’s Flickr album of special police vehicles.

Click to enlarge:

2016-08-28-gpd1

2016-08-28-gpd2
David Raynor photos

2016-08-28-gpd32016-08-28-gpd4
Mike Legeros photos

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Vintage Photos of Wilmington Squad, Ambulance

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From the files of reader/contributor David Raynor, here are vintage photos of two Wilmington Fire Department rigs. Top is a 1979 Chevy/1990 Sturdy Equipment manpower unit. Called Service 1, it operated as a “flying squad” with an Engineer, Relief Driver, and two firefighters. It was originally a 1979 E-One/Chevy midi-pumper, and converted in 1990 to the current unit.Photographed in September 1997. Bottom is 1980s Ford Econoline ambulance, photographed in June 1985. Thanks to Chris Nelson for the apparatus information. Click to enlarge:

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Vintage Photos from Shelby – Green Aerial Ladder & Red Water Tower

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From the files of reader/contributor David Raynor, here are vintage photos of two unusual rigs from Shelby, NC. That’s Cleveland County, to the west.

Top is Water Tower 30 (also called Ladder 30 at some point), a 1983 Ford F800 with local bodywork and a 35-foot articulating “water tower.” A former electric company bucket truck, it was later sold to Grover Rural FD. 

Bottom is a green (!) 1974 Seagrave aerial ladder, formerly Mill Creek, DE. Had a 1500 GPM pump, no tank, and 100-foot ladder. After serving in Shelby, it was repainted white over read, and served at nearby Cherryville. They later retired the truck, cut off the front of the cab, and used same as a teach podium at their fire station.

Both were photographed in December 1996. Thanks to Micah Bodford for the extensive apparatus details. Click to enlarge:


David Raynor photos

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