This posting was last updated on June 30, 2024.

Wilmington Fire Department milestones. Research notes, based on this Facebook posting.

1745 – First tax for fire equipment.
1754 – First fire engine purchased.
1759 – First designated fireman.
1791 – First fire company incorporated.

1806 – Fire wardens appointed.
1810 – First major fire.
1841 – Fire department reorganized, with Fire Chief and Assistant Chief added. Alt year 1940.
1846 – First ladder company. Wilmington Hook and Ladder Company organized, chartered following year. [SOC]

1856? – First black fire company.
1869 – First steam engine. 
1879 – First fire alarm system.
1883-86 – Headquarters relocated, 4th and Dock streets. [SOC]
1884c – First fire horses.
1886 – Waterfront major fire.
1886 – Fire bell cast, hung in tower behind Headquarters. [SOC]
1887 – First fire boat, Marie.
1891 – First NCVFA convention in town.
1893 – First NCSFA convention in town.
1897 – Career department created, integrated. 
1897 – Fire Chief Charles Schnibben appointed. 
1898 – Wilmington Insurrection, all black firemen fired.

1903 – New fire boat, Marion. 
1907 – New Station 1, South 4th St. Opened December 31, 1907. [MJL]
1907 – New Station 3, North 4th St.
1907 – Atlantic I, new fire boat.

1912 – First motor apparatus, pair of combination chemical hose wagons. 
1914 – Atlantic II, new fire boat.
1915 – New Station 2, South 5th Avenue. 
1915 – Fire bell moved from Headquarters to Station 5. [WM, 4/30/59]
1917 – First motorized pumper. [SOC]
1917 – First motor aerial ladder. Delivered March 1917. [WD, 3/9/17]
1918 – Fire bell removed from service. [SOC]
1918 – Last horse-drawn apparatus retired. [SOC]

1927 – First drill tower. Alt year 1929, per SOC.
1928 – First time hosting NC Fire College and Drill School
 
1931 – Station 5 opened, Wrightsville Ave. Opened October 31, 1931. [MJL]
1933 – Fire Chief J. F. Zellers appointed.
1936? – New Mack pumper added. 
1937 – Fire Chief J. L. Croom appointed.
1938 – Service ladder truck (quad) added.
1939 – New ALF tractor for aerial ladder. Plus 1917 aerial ladder trailer rebuilt.
  
1942 – Auxiliary firefighter program started during World War II, with volunteer members.
1943 – Station 6 opened, Willard Street. Opened April 31, 1943. Built in 1942, but opened delayed due to new apparatus for Engine 6 pending. [MJL]
1943-45 – Auxiliary apparatus added, two small booster trucks and three larger pumpers. [MS, 6/10/45]
1947 – IAFF chapter formed.
1949 – Atlantic III, new fire boat.
1949 – Orton Hotel fire. 

1952c – New auxiliary truck added. 
1952 – Station 3 closed, Engine 3 to Station 1. [MJL]
1952 – Station 4 opened, at old Station 3. [MJL]
1953 – Major fire at Wilmington Terminal Company on waterfront.
1954 – Fire Chief James A. West appointed.
1954 – Station 1 closed. 
1954 – Temporary Station 1 opened in leased building, 2nd and Market streets. [SOC] 
1955 – Training tower torn down. [MJL]
 
1956 – New Station 1, 4th and Dock, same site as prior Station 1. Old station demolished November 1954. Opened April 1956. Dedicated May 23, 1956. [MJL]
1956 – Station 2 closed, Engine 2 relocated to Station 1. Closed May 15, 1956. [SN, 5/12/56]
1959 – Fire bell removed from tower at Station 5 and installed in front of new Station 1. [WM, 4/30/59]1959 – Engine 1 crashes with fuel tanker. The 1970 ALF was either rebuilt or replaced with what appears to be a rebuilt apparatus. [MJL]
 
1960 – Fire Chief David E. Millinor appointed. 
1962 – Atlantic IV, new fire boat.
1963 – First modern aerial ladder, first modern tiller.
1963? – New training tower completed. Constructed started in 1960, but completion was delayed due to lack of funding. [SN, 8/19/62]
 
1965 – New Station 3, Park Avenue. Opened December 15, 1965. [MJL]
1965 – Station 5 closed, Engine 5 to Station 1. Closed on December 15, 1965. [MJL]
1966 – New Station 2, Park Avenue.
1968 – Five days of civil unrest, after assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 
1969 – First rescue truck, no transport capability.
  
1971 – Eight days of civil unrest. 
1972 – Hemenway Hall fire. 
1972 – Station 4 closed, Engine 4 relocated to new Station 3. [MJL]
1972 – New Station 3, Princess Place Drive. Opened on December 21, 1972. [MJL]
1973? – Second aerial ladder added
1973 – First fire educator
1973c – Dive team created. [SN, 4/8/77]
1973 – Fire Chief Robert D. Shipp appointed. 
1974 – New Station 5, Wellington Ave. Opened on August 2, 1974. [MJL]
1974 – First ambulance.
1974 – First firefighters trained as EMTs, assigned to all pieces of apparatus.
1974 – FF workweek shortened, 66 to 56 hours. Third shift added. 
1974 – Manpower unit added, operated station wagon. 
 
1975 – Midi-pumper placed in service, served as rescue unit. Carried extrication tools.
1976 – Station 6 closed, due to city layoffs. Closed May 28, 1976. [SN, 5/29/76] Re-opened after June 23, 1978, after budget appropriation. [SN, 6/23/78]
1978 – ISO Class 2 awarded.
1978 – New engine company planned for newly annexed areas south of city. To be housed at Station 4. Also, South Wilmington VFD to be contracted for fire protection for six months. [SN, 7/22/77]
1979 – Second ambulance added.

1980 – WFD dispatching transferred to consolidated city dispatch center.
1981 – Surplus brush truck and two surplus tankers added, for July 1 annexation of new territory. [SN, 3/19/81]
1982 – Fire Chief Lloyd H. Wolfe appointed. 
1983 – First female firefighter. [MS, 1/2/85]
1983 – Soloman Towers fire. 
1984 – Hurricane Diana.
1984 – Metal cabs built for two open-cab engines. [WS, 4/10/84]
1984 – City rules prevented WFD members from volunteering at fire or rescue agencies. [MS, 6/1/84]
1984 – City annexation of south Wilmington and Pine Valley subdivision. Winter Park was annexed several months later. As a result, 12 new positions were added to WFD and construction started on two new stations. [MJL]
 
1985 – New Station 4, Wallace Avenue. Opened in August 1985. Dedicated September 7, 1985. [MJL]
1985 – New Station 6, Carolina Beach Rd. Dedicated September 7, 1985. Opened to cover areas of 1985 annexation.
1986 – Atlantic V, new fire boat.
1986 – Ambulances retired when county took over EMS services. 
1987 – Natural gas leak and fire on Market Street on August 5, 1987, multiple firefighters injured and one killed.
1987 – Haz-mat team organized. [SN, 10/24/87]
1988 – Haz-mat unit added. 
1988 – Fire Chief Sam Hill appointed. [SN, 3/26/08]
1988 – First black assistant chief, Lorenzo Edge [SN, 6/1/88]
1988? – First aerial platform. 
1989 – City annexation, added 9.25 square miles and about 10,000 people. [MS, 7/23/99]

1990 – ISO Class 2 rating drops to Class 3. [MS, 3/15/90]
1991 – Some 60 firefighters file lawsuit against city in overtime pay disputed. Settled following year out of court. [SN, 1/16/92, 8/13/92]
1992 – Major fire at ChemServe.
1995 – City annexation southeast of city.
1995 – Regional haz-mat response team created. [SN, 10/31/96]
1995 – Tactical rescue team organized by this time. Dive team also still operating. [SN, 10/31/96] 
1998 – City annexation south of city
1999 – Station 7 opened, South College Rd.
1999? – Atlantic V #2, new fire boat.

2000 – WFD takes over Winter Park FD service area.
2000 – New Station 1, Market St. Opened to cover areas of 1995 annexation. Opened in January 2000. [MJL] [SN, 1/7/00]
2000 – First female Fire Captain. 
2001 – Station 8 opened, Eastwood Road.
2001 – Station 9 opened, Military Cutoff Road.
2005 – Station 10 opened after WFD took over Seagate FD service area, also purchased site and acquired equipment of SFD. Opened October 1, 2005. Opened to cover areas of 1998 annexation. Since 2000, city had contracted with SFD for fire protection. [SN, 8/23/05] 
2005  – City commissioned operational and management study of WFD. [SN 11/19/05]
 
2007 – Station 15 opened, Masonboro Loop Road. Opened in early June 2007. Dedicated June 30, 2007. [SN, 6/27/07] Opened to cover areas of 1998 annexation. [MJL]
2007 – Atlantic VI, new fire boat.
2007 – Engine 10 to Station 15, while new Station 10 is built on existing site. [SN, 8/8/07]
2008 – Fire Chief Cecil Martinette appointed. [SN, 7/10/08]
2008 – New Station 10 opened, Oleander Drive. Constructed started in September 2007. [SN, 8/8/07]
2008 – New fire training facility completed at Cape Fear Community College, in partnership with city, county, and college. Dedicated September 11, 2008. [SOC]
2009 – All firefighters are certified as EMTs. Alt year, 2009. [SN, 2/16/10]

2010 – Station 2 closed, due to environmental hazard (mold). Closed October 31, 2010. Personnel and apparatus moved to Station 3. [MJL]
2011 – Automatic aid policy established with New Hanover County FD. City and council units now dispatched as closest unit. [SN, 6/13/11]
2011? – Old Station 2 demolished. New station erected on same site. [SOC]
2012 – New Station 2 opened, Park Avenue. Opened July 31, 2012. Dedicated August 18, 2012. [MJL]
2013 – Fallen Firefighters Memorial dedicated at new Station 2. [SN, 9/11/13]
2014 – Department receives accreditation. 
2014 – City-county fire department merger study created, 119 pages. [SN, 10/4/14]
2014 – City announces WFD realignment plan. [SN, 7/9/14]
 
2015 – Station 3 (closed) and Station 4 (new) consolidated into single station, new Station 4, Cinema Drive. Station 3 closed on November 19, 2015. Station 4 opened on November 19, 2015. [MJL]
2015 – Engine 4 relocated to Station 8 and renamed Engine 8. Current Engine 8, operating as a quint, was renamed Truck 8. [MJL]
2016 – Engine 4 reactivated at Station 1. [MJL]
2017 – Deputy Chief added. [SN, 6/27/17]
2017 – Traffic signal preemption system implemented. [SN, 5/11/17]
2018 – Hurricane Florence impacts Wilmington. Station 1 damaged, over $350K. [SN, 1/10/20]
2019 – Station 5 (new) and Station 6 (closed) consolidated into single station, new Station 5, Shipyard Blvd. Station 6 closed on May 18, 2019. Dedicated 5/18/19. Opening was delayed due to water damage from Hurricane Florence. [Lumina News,  5/11/29] [MJL]
 
2020 – Global COVID pandemic. 
2021 – Drone program added. 
2022 – Fire Chief J. Steve Mason appointed. 
2022 – Department awarded ISO Class 1 designation. 

Line of Duty Deaths

1868 – Richard Merrick
1868 – Robert Bellamy
1880 – William A. Ellerbrock
1893 – Joseph B. Willard
1932 – Willie P. Monroe
1933 – Charles Schnibben
1935 – Raymond D. Core
1941 – Emmett A. Williamson
1956 – Oscar D. Willis
1972 – Burleigh A. Scotton
1987 – Harold L. Sandlin
2014 – Eric D. Lacewell

Fire Chiefs

Charles Schnibben – 1897 to 1933
J. F. Zellers – 1933 to 1937
J. L. Croom – 1937 to 1954/57
James A. West – 1954/57
David E. Millinor – 1961
Robert D. Shipp – 1973
Lloyd H. Wolfe – 1982
+ later

Sources

MJL – Legeros research
SN – Star-News

More Reading

Wilmington Fire History by Legeros.