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:
Readers can you help? Click to enlarge:
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).
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:
David Raynor photos
Mike Legeros photos
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:
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
From the files of reader/contributor David Raynor, here are a pair of rigs photographed in 1995, somewhere in North Carolina. He didn’t record the location. Readers, can you identify?
David Raynor photos
For your Friday enjoyment, here’s a montage of Raleigh Fire Department recruit academy academy class photos from 1978 to 2016. Includes Academy 41, which graduated last night in downtown Raleigh. Congratulations!
This one’s an incomplete collection, however. Some of the group didn’t either a formal or even informal photo. See the entire collection of class photos. Photo credits include a lot of Lee Wilson pictures, a couple from Mike Legeros (Yours Truly), and a couple from our friend Jeff Harkey.
For more information on Raleigh FD academy histories, see this summary page and this research document (PDF). Click once or twice to enlarge:
Recruit Academy Numbering
Reprinted from the Winter 2013 edition of the Raleigh Fire Department Newsletter:
When was the first recruit academy? And how did the numbering start? Let s answer the second question first. In 2006, Historian Mike Legeros conducted research on earlier fire academies. Through a combination of records and oral histories, he compiled the details and rosters of academies going back to 1978.
That was, we thought, the first year that recruits were required to become certified as EMTs, notes Legeros. So that seemed a good starting point for numbering the academies.
Asst. Chief of Training Tommie Ann Styons reviewed the research, and agreed with the numbering convention that Legeros proposed. The first group of firefighters hired on February 1, 1978, and who graduated on April 11, were retroactively named Recruit Academy 1.
Since the time of that research, I ve learned a few more things. The eight recruits hired on April 4, 1977, also had EMT training. It was a last-minute addition to their training, he adds.
And there were prior groups of new firefighters hired in large enough numbers that they also warrant being labeled a class . Eight members hired in November 1976, for example. And twenty-four firefighters hired in June 1974.
How will recruit classes before 1978 be retroactively numbered? Legeros has an idea. At some time in the future, we ll resume the research. And maybe we ll work backwards, using letters. The 1977 class might be Recruit Academy A. The one before that might be Academy B. To answer the original question, when was the very first recruit academy? To be determined.
Raleigh Fire Department Recruit Academy 41 graduates on Thursday, August 18, at 7:00 p.m., in a ceremony to be held at the Duke Center for the Performing Arts.
The thirty-seven recruits started their twenty-nine week academy on January 25, 2016. The program included classroom and practical instruction, as well as daily physical fitness training. They’ll graduate with state certifications as Firefighter II, Emergency Medical Technician, and Hazardous Materials Responder.
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The graduating class include a number of second-generation (Dillard, Overton, Ricks, Tart, White), and third-generation Raleigh firefighters (Spain, Whittington), as well as other family relations. We’ll update our family tree (PDF) accordingly. (There’s also a Guffey in there, son of the Knightdale Fire Chief!)
The program was led by Academy Coordinator Capt. Jamie Hill and Academy Capt. Jake Jackowski. Their instructors were Lt. Frankie Beasley, Lt. Bryan Kirk, Lt. Jesse Richardson, Lt. Tony Todd, and Senior Firefighter Carl Hardee, along with EMT instructors Capt. Doug Campbell and First Class Firefighter Patrick Collins. The majority of their training was conducted at the Keeter Training Center.
Recruitment started in July 2015, with 1,059 completed applications. Of those, 977 were invited to the written aptitude test. The test was taken by 495 individuals and 388 passed. Those who passed were invited to the physical agility test, which was passed by 299 individuals. Upon completion of background investigations, ninety-one candidates were interviewed.
For more information about working as a firefighter for the Raleigh Fire Department, visit their recruitment web site.
See more photos of the recruits. Or look back at earlier academy class photos.
Here’s a run card and narrative about yesterday’s reported shooting at Crabtree Valley Mall. Gunshots were reported on the second floor, near the food court, just after 2:30 p.m. The mall was placed on lockdown, and then evacuated as law officers secured each location. The mall occupants (employees, shoppers) were evacuated to the lawn and parking lot of the Marriott hotel, across the street.
No victims with gunshot wounds were located [nor subsequent evidence of any gunfire], but other medical emergencies were reported both during and after the evacuations. None were reported as life-threatening.
Wake County EMS managed the resulting multi-patient incident over a number of hours, with resources including over twenty paramedic ambulances, four district chiefs, a special operations unit, and a medical ambulance bus. They also performed responder rehab, and assisted with helping the evacuees stay hydrated. The heat index was over 100 degrees.
Mike Legeros photos – See more
The shooting was reported just after 2:30 p.m. The first EMS call was dispatched at 2:40 p.m., for a fall. Additional units were soon added. At 2:52 p.m., an obstetrics call was dispatched. More additional units were dispatched to the mall. At 3:14 p.m., an EMS box alarm added Truck 1. At 3:28 p.m., an EMS Alarm 4 was dispatched.
By the ninety-minute mark (when Yours Truly arrived), EMS and other command branches were located on Marriott Drive, in front of the hotel. They later moved inside into a conference room. EMS staging was located in the parking lots near the Best Buy and Barnes & Noble. The three engine companies had also relocated to Marriott Drive or nearby Glenwood Avenue. The roadway was closed between Lead Mine and Creedmoor roads.
Mike Legeros photos – See more
Nine people were transported to hospitals, with an additional eleven patient contacts by EMS personnel. The medical evacuation bus Evac 1 was also utilized for rehab. Bottled water was also brought to the scene by the Wake County Fire Marshal, with supplies coordinated by Wake County Emergency Management.
Additional rehab supplies were furnished by a State Medical Assistance Team unit out of WakeMed. They brought canopies, fans, and misters to the scene.
Mall employees, hotel employees, and many others helped the incident remain manageable. As were the positive attitudes of the hundreds of evacuees over the course of an uncomfortable afternoon outdoors.
The first press conference was held just before 6:00 p.m., with Raleigh police and Wake EMS providing updates. With the hour, evacuees were being escorted by to their vehicles, in small groups either on foot or by bus. Fire and EMS units began clearing after 7:00 p.m. The mall remained closed through the evening.
Google for numerous news stories for more information about the incident.
See more photos by Mike Legeros.
Run Card
Law Enforcement
Raleigh Police
Wake County Sheriff
State Highway Patrol
Crabtree Special Police
CCBI
SBI
ATF
FBI
Others?
EMS
Twenty-one paramedic ambulances from Wake County
EMS1, EMS3, EMS4, EMS5, EMS6, EMS7, EMS8, EMS10, EMS13, EMS14, EMS15, EMS18, EMS31, EMS 34, EMS35, EMS 36, EMS39, EMS51, EMS55, EMS62, EMS63
Two convalescent ambulances and ambulance mini-bus from Samaritan. Two paramedic ambulances were also requested from Durham County, but were unavailable.
Other EMS
Two Medics – M93, M95
Four District Chiefs – D1, D3, D4, D5
Truck 1 (Special Operations)
EVAC1 (Medical Ambulance Bus)
Chief 203 (PIO)
Chief 500 (Cary EMS Chief)
MD-1 (Director)
WakeMed/SMAT with two rehab units
Fire
Four engines (E16, E9, E5, E24), Battalion Chief (B4), Division Chief
Wake County FM with cargo trailer with bottled water
Wake County Emergency Management
North Carolina Emergency Management
Buses
CAT, Go Raleigh, Wolfline
Belated news. Raleigh fire hydrants are turning yellow. As announced in this June 10 press release, the public fire hydrants within the city limits will now be painted yellow. They’re currently painted red. Private fire hydrants will remain red.
What’s the difference between a public and private fire hydrant, as defined here? They’re both connected to the city’s water supply, and conform to the same specs. Public hydrants are installed on roads and streets and public sites, and they’re maintained by the city. They are over 16,000 public fire hydrants in the city.1
Private hydrants are typically found at apartments, HOA-managed residential developments, and commercial properties. They’re maintained by the property owners, and are always located outside the City right-of-way. There are 4,400+ private hydrants in the city.2
The city’s water system also supplies Garner, Knightdale, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Wendell, and Zebulon. In those other communities, the hydrants are yellow, which in turn follows a recommendation from the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA). The change in the city aligns with this standard.
We’re told that hydrants caps will be always chrome (e.g. reflective) silver. No varied colors to note hydrant capacities. The change is immediate. Yellow hydrants are already appearing around town. The timeframe for total conversion will be a number of years.
Public Utilities handles hydrant maintenance including testing and painting. In days of old, the fire department was the paint crew, and also did testing. Those tasks were transferred a number of years ago.
The city’s system of fire hydrants was installed in 1887. Firefighters originally powered their hose streams from hydrant pressure, prior to use pumping engines. Here’s a blog archives post with that historical perspective.
See also these related blog archives postings: Hydrant Map from 1903 (January 2011), Raleigh Hose Thread History (April 2014).
What other hydrant systems are used around Raleigh or Wake County, outside the city-operated system? Readers, please add!
1Subtracting 4,400 below from 22,000 cited in the press release, for “over 16,000.”
2From the Winter 2014 issue (PDF) of the Raleigh Fire Department newsletter: “There are an estimated 4,400 public fire hydrants in the City of Raleigh.”