Random page of stories from the May-June 1969 issue of Hose & Nozzle magazine. Wake [County] Fireman Breaks Leg; Thomasville [Fire] Truck Involved in Wreck; Two Cleveland Firemen Injured; Winston-Salem Fire-Police Vehicles Damaged.
Winston-Salem fire police, you say? Here’s a blog posting about that entity, which was created in in late 1957. Looks like they were active until at least 1969! Learn more about H&N magazine.
Click once or twice to enlarge:
Last week, on Tuesday, June 7, Raleigh firefighters, police officers, and friends, family, and supporters met at the Municipal Building on Hargett Street, in advance of a public hearing on the proposed budget for FY17. (See the budget documents.)
They came with signs and matching shirts (for fire)–“would you do this job 56 hours a week for $11.22 per hour” and “we can’t live in the city we protect”–and conducted a peaceful demonstration about their salaries. They want higher pay, and say firefighters and police officers deserve higher raises than the 3 to 3.5 percent increase in the City Manager’s proposed budget.
Speaking at a press conference held before the hearing, representatives from the Raleigh Professional Fire Fighters Association and the Raleigh Police Protective Association announced that they would jointly submit proposals for a 15 percent raise over the two years. They also addressed other issues, such as low starting pay in comparatively sized fire departments around the nation, as well as far smaller departments in Wake County.
Some 200 firefighters and police officers and supporters attended. Due to the large number of attendees, two conference rooms were opened on the third-floor for remote viewing. The hearing was also broadcast to a pair of television screens outside the council chambers on the second and first floor lobbies.
The spokesmen for the RPFFA and RPPA addressed City Council early into the budget hearing. This live blog recap from the Independent Weekly has a summary of their statements. Or you can watch the session as recorded by the Raleigh Television Network.
See also these news stories from WRAL, WTVD, and News & Observer[*]. And here are some photos from the event by Mike Legeros.
[*] Link now broken, http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article82335182.html
Want to express your support? Contact your local City Council representative. Their e-mail addresses are listed at the bottom of this web page.
The Fayetteville Observer today includes this story by Andrew Barksdale about the Fayetteville Fire Department’s efforts to improve the number of minority firefighters. Solid story, though invoking a quite a few negative reaction among readers, at least on the paper’s Facebook posting of the story. (Yeah, yeah, never read the comments after a story. It’ll just ruin your mood.)
Included is an interesting data table, comparing minority firefighters among the state’s largest cities:
| Largest cities in NC | White firefighters | Black firefighters | Hispanic firefighters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 85% | 11.5% | 2.2% |
| Raleigh | 81% | 15.1% | 2.4% |
| Greensboro | 77% | 16% | 3% |
| Durham | 76% | 20% | 1.8% |
| Winston-Salem | 70.4% | 26.1% | 2.7% |
| Fayetteville | 90% | 3.2% | 2.9% |
| Cary | 94% | 2.7% | 2.2% |
| Wilmington | 89% | 6.3% | 4% |
| High Point | 85% | 9.4% | 0% |
What are the demographic percentages for those cities? Let’s add those, with sources citied:
| Largest cities in NC | White firefighters | White Population | Black firefighters | Black Population | Hispanic firefighters | Hispanic Population | Demographics Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 85% | 50% | 11.5% | 35% | 2.2% | 13.1% | US Gov (2010) |
| Raleigh | 81% | 57.5% | 15.1% | 29.3% | 2.4% | 11.4% | US Gov (2010) |
| Greensboro | 77% | 48.4% | 16% | 40.6% | 3% | 7.5% | US Gov (2010) |
| Durham | 76% | 53% | 20% | 38.6% | 1.8% | 13.4% | US Gov (2014) |
| Winston-Salem | 70.4% | 77.4% | 26.1% | 13.2% | 2.7% | 17.4% | US Gov (2014) |
| Fayetteville | 90% | 45.7% | 3.2% | 41.9% | 2.9% | 10.1% | US Gov (2010) |
| Cary | 94% | 73.1% | 2.7% | 8% | 2.2% | 7.7% | US Gov (2010) |
| Wilmington | 89% | 73.5% | 6.3% | 19.9% | 4% | 6.1% | US Gov (2010) |
| High Point | 85% | 53.6% | 9.4% | 33.0% | 0% | 8.5% | US Gov (2010) |
How fresh is the originating data, for the various fire departments? Don’t know. Let’s presume the write contacted each of the fire departments, for the latest, greatest data.
How does the data compare with fire departments nationally, such as the nation’s largest departments? Can’t readily find any “one chart” comparison. Would like to see one, though. Maybe readers know of such a thing.
Nationally, the NFPA maintains statistics on firefighting occupations by women and race, with the latest data from 2012:
| Year / Total | White firefighters | Black firefighters | Hispanic firefighters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 295,000 (2012) | Below 82.4% | 7.7% | 9.9% |
| 295,600 (average 2008-2012) | Below 83.4% | 7.2% | 99.4% |
Note: Why “below” for the white firefighter percentage? Because there are likely other races computed in the total, that aren’t listed in the NFPA report.
Lee Wilson found this one, and shared on social media. Would you believe a converted Caterpillar 740B articulated all-terrain construction vehicle converted into a heavy-duty fire truck complete with aerial platform? Cobra Petro Projects built the thing which is believed to be a world’s first. (At least with the aerial platform added. We’ve seen similar trucks in decades past with just water or water/foam capabilities, such as used at airports.)
Carries 21,000 liters (5547 gallons) of water that incorporates an ARFF foam system. The Bronto SkyLift platform can extend nearly 45 meters (147 feet). Or reach a vertical height of about 28 meters (91 feet). The pre-piped nozzle can flow 2,900 LPM (766 GPM).
The platform is powered from the truck’s diesel engine, while the pumps operate off the hoist hydraulic system. Other features include an on-board fire suppression system (!). Gross weight is about 70 tons.
Built for Kumba Iron Ore’s Sishen mine, which is located near the town of Kathu in the Northern Cape Province. (One of the largest open pit mines in the world, says Google.) Pictures below from the Cobra Petro web page. More detailed information from this Modern Mining magazine story. See also this CPHA magazine story (PDF), which has a few additional photos.
Click to slightly enlarge:
Found a pair of Hose & Nozzle magazine issues from early 1967, that tell about the fire chief changes in Cary during the time. Editorial notes are interspersed:
March-April 1967:
Matthews Named Chief at Cary
Retired RALEIGH Fire Captain [wrong, was Asst. Chief, see below] Lee Matthews has been named acting chief of the Cary Fire Department.
Town manager L. L. Lane said Matthews, a Cary resident for many years, “took the job reluctantly be cause he really was enjoying retirement…but came to help us out of a jam and is doing a fine job of running things for us. He’s helping us get reorganized.”
Matthews is filling a vacancy created by the department of Chief J. W. Ward [who] resigned in mid-January after being on the job less than three months. Lane said it was a “regular resignation.” Ward succeeded Don Tripp, who resigned last October for “personal reasons.” Both Tripp and Ward have moved away from Cary.
Ed. notes:
R. Lee Matthews retired from Raleigh as an Assistant Fire Chief in 1963. He had thirty-seven years of service. He was appointed on January 21, 1967. He served for four months and twenty days. See notes below.
Don Tripp is a new name for Mr. Blogger. He’ll add to his list of Wake County fire chiefs past ‘n’ present (pdf).
May-June 1967:
Ayscue Named Cary Fire Chief
Frank Ayscue, 24, who served five years with the Henderson Fire Department, is Cary’s new fire chief.
Ayscue replaces Lee Matthews, retired officer of the Raleigh Fire Department, who had acted as interim chief since the resignation of Chief J. W. Ward.
Ed. notes:
Clarence Frank Ayscue was appointed on May 1, 1967, and served until July 15, 1968, when he was hired as a firefighter for the City of Raleigh. He retired from the department as a Senior Firefighter in 1989.
Cary’s first paid fire chief was Calvin Beck, who served from 1963 to 1966. He was followed by Don Tripp, as noted above, and then John W. Ward, who was appointed on October 15, 1966.
After Chief Ayscue, the department was led by John L. Dew (1968-69), Billy Henderson (1969-71), Terry Edmundson (1971-75), and then Ned Perry (1975-93), a former Raleigh Fire Captain. Here’s a prior blog post about the RFD/CFD command connection.
Following Chief Perry was Wayne House (1993-2002) and Allan Cain (2003-present). See also my outdated CFD historical timeline.
What s happening with fire station construction and/or planning around Raleigh and Wake County?
Here’s your spring 2016 update, for both municipal and county departments. Sources are direct queries to nearly every Fire Chief in the county, or their staff. Plus sundry budget documents or news stories. Thanks all for answering my questions. Signed, Planning Geek.
Note: Omitted are those fire departments with no news to report, or changes planned.
Apex
Bay Leaf – See Northwest Wake County
Cary
See related blog posting.
Durham Highway
Station 2, which is collocated with Raleigh Station 23, has been determined as a needed station by ISO. The unmanned station (for DHFD) has always been recognized by OSFM, but has not been funded by the county in recent years for facility or equipment upgrades. An ISO inspection determined that the station and its apparatus are necessary, as no other county stations can serve a number of non-hydrant areas within six miles. Newer (DHFD) apparatus is being sought for the station, to replace the 1976 tanker and 1992 pumper housed there.
Garner
Need for fifth fire station identified in the Highway 401 corridor. Coming development plans include a town-annexed site near Buffaloe Lanes for a community of some 800 homes, and several multi-family projects underway near 401 and Ten-Ten, also inside town limits. GFD in conversations with town and developers regarding a planned fire station. Expected time frame of three to five years. They re hoping for a joint fire, police, and EMS facility.
Fuquay-Varina
Morrisville
The proposed budget for FY17 includes a station location study, that assess opportunities to maximize ISO credit and improve services to the citizens, with a goal of improving the Town s ISO rating from Class 3 to Class 1. The study will review where fire service demands impact the Town and correlate to fire response times, and will help Town Council continue its discussions related to placement of Fire Station 3. Currently the town s third fire station is co-located at Cary Fire Station 7 on Carpenter Fire Station Road.
Northwest Wake County
Both Stony Hill and Bay Leaf fire departments have long-identified a need for another fire station in the northwestern quadrant of the county, notably in the area of Highway 50 and Boyce [Bridge] Road. There are 625 county citizens living in 14.8 square miles of unincorporated area, and more than five miles from a county fire station. They occupy 247 homes, and there s more growth coming. (Farther out often means bigger lots, which often means bigger homes.)
The station would also serve the highly-traveled Highway 50 corridor, as well as heavily-used Falls Lake boat ramps and surrounding areas. SHFD and BLFD respond to calls in that area, along with Creedmoor and Redwood from the neighboring counties. Responses time are obviously longer on the Wake County side, ranging from 10 to 21 minutes. (Time of day and commuter traffic can have a particularly dramatic impact.)
Bay Leaf took the lead in documenting the need, and submitted same as part of the expansion requests the FY17 budget.
Raleigh
Several station expansion or replacements:
These projects have been covered in past issues of the Raleigh Fire Department Newsletter, as well as sundry blog postings, a number of which are linked above.
Where does the city foresee future station locations? Needs have been assessed north of Sta 4/Sta 15, between Sta 7/Sta 21 (infill), south of Sta 22 (infill), south of Sta 25 (infill), east of Sta 26, and east of Sta 27. See page 26 of the fire department s five-year strategic plan (PDF).
That document also lists the planned schedule for station renovations, with design and construction funding spread over two budget years: Sta 10/Sta 15 (FY17, FY18), Sta 8/Sta 16 (FY18, FY19), Sta 9/Sta 17 (FY19, FY20), Sta 18/Sta 19 (FY20, FY21), Sta 4/Sta 20 (FY21, FY22), Sta 21/Sta 22 (FY22, FY23).
Rolesville
They’ve identified a need for three (!) future fire stations, due to rapid growth in their municipal and rural areas. (In April, Realtor.com said Rolesville was the seventh fastest growing town in the nation!) The fire department s been working to procure property, with the town paying its share of the projects. They re trying to get sites while they can still purchase property at a reasonable price. Time frame for these is TBD.
Planned locations:
West side – 4124 Burlington Mill Road, at a three-acre site purchased in April. This station s needed to accommodate the growth that the town s been experiencing. The town s municipal limits on the west side is the north side of Forestville Road, with the town border extending north to the Wake Forest town limits, and south past Highway 401. There are new subdivisions in that area, and several hundred more homes are proposed.
North side – Toward Averette Road and Highway 96. This area s inside a watershed and will remain mostly county. Meaning, no annexation by any town. That also means large home on large lots. This station will provide service to property owners outside the five-mile distance from Station 1, and ensure they get a Class 4 protection rating for their insurance. This location would serve northeastern Wake County residents to the county line.
South side – South of the new 401 bypass, and to cover the area between Rolesville, Hopkins, and Wendell fire districts. If the planned Little River Reservoir is built to the east, this fire station will help with response times to areas cut off by the reservoir. The south side station will also help with response times south of the bypass, and put fire units closer to the county s largest high school. Like the north side areas, much of this area is also watershed.
One note about Rolesville FD, they just finished their ISO inspection, and are proud to announce that they received a Class 3 in the town limits, and a 4/9s in the rural district. They’re also the largest single-station fire department in the county, protecting 32.88 square miles with one fire station.
Stony Hill
See Northwest Wake County
Wake Forest
Station 4 completed recently at 1505 Jenkins Road, and staffed with full-time engine company.
Wendell
New station planned in Wendell Falls, $150,000 budgeted in FY17 for planning and design costs. Land to be purchased after July 1, 2016. Site will be on Taylor Road (not built yet), off Wendell Falls Boulevard.
Zebulon
Bought land for a second station on Green Pace Road, about ten years ago. Currently reevaluating their needs and plans for a future fire station.
Did you know that Memorial Auditorium once contained a fire station? The performance hall that’s today called the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts was dedicated in August 1932 as “War Memorial Auditorium.” It was named as it was a memorial to the solders that died in World War I, and replaced the earlier City Auditorium at Davie and Fayetteville streets, that was destroyed by fire on October 24, 1930.
As this NC Theater web site well-summarizes, the land for the new auditorium had a long history of public use. The city’s original Governor’s Palace was erected on the site in 1813 and occupied until April 1865, when seized by General Sherman during the Civil War. (As the story goes, it was declared no longer fit for habitation after the war ended.) In 1876, the building was sold to the city, and turned into Raleigh’s first public school. (And the second graded school in the state.)
Source: NC Theater web page
Memorial Auditorium cost about $310,000 to construct, and was considered the city’s largest expense since the Great Depression. It also included a fire station under the stage. The one-story, two-bay fire station faced Fayetteville Road. It originally housed Engine 2, which relocated from 412 S. Salisbury Street. (The old fire station was retained by the city and became a paint shop.)
The new fire station included separate dorm rooms for officers and firefighters. There was a “lounge” in the far back, a combination kitchen, dining room, and a day room. A maintenance shop was located in the rear of the apparatus bay. The floor plan also included bathrooms, an office, and a utility closet.
Click once or twice to enlarge:
Top right: North Carolina State archives photo; bottom left: Raleigh News & Observer
Continue reading ‘Remembering the Fire Station at Memorial Auditorium’ »
Two alarms were struck in northeast Raleigh late Saturday afternoon, with two duplexes damaged after an accidental outdoor fire started. Engine 21 was dispatched 2420 Pumpkin Ridge Way at 5:21 p.m. for an outside fire. Within a minute it was upgraded with a structure fire response dispatched at 5:22 p.m. and adding E27, E11, E19, L2 (operating reserve Ladder 125), L8, R1, B1, B2, and Car 420 (Deputy Fire Marshal). While units were en route, it was upgraded to a working fire, with Air 1, Car 20 (Division Chief), and Car 401 (Investigator) dispatched at 5:26 p.m.
Engine 21 arrived at 5:28 p.m., with smoke and flames showing from the left side (Division B) and extending to the attic of a two-story, brick duplex with ~2000 square feet. Built 2001. The officer requested a second alarm almost immediately, as a second structure became involved, with siding catching fire and soon extending to the attic at 2424 Pumpkin Ridge Way. That’s a two-story, vinyl-sided duplex with ~2,8000 square feet. Built 2003.
Benjamin James Cirasole / WTVD photos
The second alarm was dispatched at 5:29 p.m. for E12, Sq7, E3, L5, L4, B5. The Assistant Chief of Operations, Car 2, also responded. Initial operations were interior attacks along with a “blitz nozzle” (portable monitor) outside in the front. Ladder 2 was positioned for master stream operations in Division B/C on Pumpkin Ridge Way, while Ladder 8 was readied in Division C, on the parallel street Blackwolf Run Lane. Evacuation tones were sounded at 5:43 p.m., crews were withdrawn from both structures, and both aerial streams began flowing.
Mike Legeros photos
Command was located on the south side of the intersection of Pumpkin Ridge and Linville Ridge Drive. Staged apparatus utilized Linville Ridge Drive and Bay Harbor Drive. At least two hydrants were tapped. Medical monitoring and rehab was conducted in driveways on Pumpkin Ridge, across the street from Division B/C. The fire was controlled at 6:44 p.m., and some second alarm companies were soon released.
The cause was determined as accidental, due to smoking materials, and presumably improperly discarded. Watch your butts! Three families were displaced, and Red Cross provided assistance. One pet was reportedly killed.
Mike Legeros photos
Fire response included E21, structure fire: E27, E11, E19, L2, L8, R1, B1, B2, C420; working fire: A1, C20, 401; second alarm: E12, Sq7, E3, L5, L4, B5. Also C2. Medical response: EMS 34 (first alarm), EMS 62, D9 (working fire), EMS 63, D6, M92, T1 (second alarm).
Early-incident photos by Benjamin James Cirasole were posted to this WTVD story. Legeros arrived about 5:47 p.m. See his photos.
See prior posting about the fire.
On Friday, May 20, a historic mill building burned in Hillsborough. Eight fire departments battled the late afternoon blaze. The “weaving room” was destroyed on the former site of Bellevue Manufacturing Company, an industrial property built beginning in the 1900s-1920s. It was last occupied in 2000.
The site was originally equipped with its own water supply and fire hydrants. The town didn’t have one, so the factory furnished its own. This was common at industrial as well as institutional sites (schools, hospitals, prisons) back in the day.
Crews on Friday or later visitors to the scene likely noticed such features as old hydrants, old hose cabinets, and old post-indicator valves:
Poke around the entire property and you’ll see numerous fire protection features. Photographed these in February, when Mrs. Blogger and myself had dinner at the nearby barbecue joint:
Here’s a wider view showing the hose reel in the center, and another post-indicator valve in center left:
These 1924 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map excerpts (with annotations) reveal more detailed information about the buildings and their fire systems.
Click once or twice to enlarge:
For more information:
Here are the notable fire and EMS items in the recently announced budgets for the City of Durham and Durham County.
Durham City
– Add two fire inspector positions
– Completion of construction of replacement Fire Station 9
– Planning for 30 firefighters in FY18, to staff new Station 17 (Leesville Road)
– Planning for 15 firefighters in FY21, to staff new Station 18 (Herndon Road and Stinhurst Drive area.
Durham County
Fire:
– Add day-duty Division Chief position
– Add six firefighter positions
EMS:
– Five new full-time employees, for peak-time ambulance deployment shift
– Five Sprinter EMS ambulances, four new, one replacement
– One new bariatric ambulance
– Three large SUVs, two new, one replacement
– One new one-ton 4×4 truck.
More budget information (PDF).