{"id":6534,"date":"2024-06-05T17:14:09","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T21:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/?p=6534"},"modified":"2026-03-08T08:33:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T12:33:04","slug":"raleigh-fire-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/raleigh-fire-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Raleigh Fire Department History &#8211; Charts and Data"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Updated on March 8, 2026, with a link to a <a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/extra-alarms-1990-2025\/\">new chart on extra-alarm fires<\/a>.\u00a0<br \/>\nUpdated on June 1, 2015, with chart about hose cars and pumping engines delivered. Updated on January 9, 2025, with updated recruit academy length chart. <br \/>\nUpdated on June 5, 2024, with added chart comparing historical data on operations expansion. <br \/>\nUpdated on April 21, 2024, with added chart showing recruit class length. <br \/>\nUpdated on February 24, 2023, with additional charts showing fire station growth. <br \/>\n<\/em><em>Updated on January 11, 2023, with additional charts: extra-alarm fires and recruit graduating class sizes.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Random data play about the Raleigh Fire Department. These charts originally appeared as postings on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegerosFire\">Legeros Fire Line on Facebook<\/a>. They were created using Excel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Extra-Alarm Fires &#8211; 1990 to 2025<\/li>\n<li>Hose Cars and Pumping Engines &#8211; 1912 to 2025<\/li>\n<li>Operations Expansion &#8211; 1995 to 2024<\/li>\n<li>Growth Trends &#8211; Number of Stations<\/li>\n<li>Extra-Alarm Fires<\/li>\n<li>Counts of Companies<\/li>\n<li>Population Growth vs. Response Growth<\/li>\n<li>Most Popular Month for Opening New Fire Stations<\/li>\n<li>Recruit Academy Starting Sizes<\/li>\n<li>Recruit Academy Graduating Class Sizes<\/li>\n<li>Recruit Academy Length<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Extra Alarm Fires &#8211; 1990 to 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/extra-alarms-1990-2025\/\">See this blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hose Cars and Pumping Engines &#8211; 1912 to 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025-06-01-rfd-data.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9007\" src=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025-06-01-rfd-data.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1481\" height=\"887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025-06-01-rfd-data.jpg 1481w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025-06-01-rfd-data-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025-06-01-rfd-data-730x437.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1481px) 100vw, 1481px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Operations Expansion &#8211; 1955 to 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024-06-05-rfd.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7996\" src=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024-06-05-rfd.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1065\" height=\"707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024-06-05-rfd.jpg 1065w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024-06-05-rfd-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024-06-05-rfd-730x485.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1065px) 100vw, 1065px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Growth Trends &#8211; Number of Stations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023-02-24-chart1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7222\" src=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023-02-24-chart1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"821\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023-02-24-chart2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7223\" src=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023-02-24-chart2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"726\" \/><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Extra-Alarm Fires<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This chart compares the counts of extra-alarm fires in Raleigh from January 2022 to July 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-fires1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6944\" src=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-fires1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1088\" height=\"744\" srcset=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-fires1.jpg 1088w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-fires1-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-fires1-730x499.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1088px) 100vw, 1088px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Counts of Companies<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This chart shows the number of aerial ladder companies[1], service ladder companies, rescue companies[2], and battalion chiefs over time.<\/p>\n<p>[1] Staffed companies are counting, versus frontline apparatus + reserve apparatus.<br \/>\n[2] Beginning in 1953, &#8220;Raleigh Rescue&#8221; operated a two-piece unit, but the larger rescue rarely responding. Thus the count is shown as one instead of two, to keep apples to apples in comparing with later counts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-historical-data.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6946\" src=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-historical-data.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1614\" height=\"1126\" srcset=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-historical-data.jpg 1614w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-historical-data-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-historical-data-1536x1072.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-historical-data-730x509.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1614px) 100vw, 1614px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Population Growth vs. Response Growth<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This chart compares population growth (orange) and call volume growth (blue) in a given year. Sorry for the gaps. Also, the number ranges are not equivalent. The population range is 10x (or more) of the call volume range. Also, also, the first responder program expanded citywide in 1980, which is a notable factor for the change in growth rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-07-02-rfd-population-data.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6947\" src=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-07-02-rfd-population-data.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1194\" height=\"670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-07-02-rfd-population-data.jpg 1194w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-07-02-rfd-population-data-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-07-02-rfd-population-data-730x410.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1194px) 100vw, 1194px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Most Popular Month for Opening New Fire Stations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>This section was written on May 29, 2022<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>New Station 22 is opening soon. As it happens, June is the most frequent month for opening newly constructed city fire stations in the career-era of RFD. (Meaning, opening a new fire station in a newly construction building. New stations in temporary facilities are excluded.) Here&#8217;s that distribution, from data beginning in 1926. See comments for source data. Which specific dates are the most popular? Those are June 9 (3), June 15 (2), and October 9 (2).<\/p>\n<p><em>Note: Station 22 opened on August 2, 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-07-02-rfd-data-3.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6537\" src=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-07-02-rfd-data-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1654\" height=\"924\" srcset=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-07-02-rfd-data-3.jpg 1654w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-07-02-rfd-data-3-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-07-02-rfd-data-3-1536x858.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-07-02-rfd-data-3-730x408.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1654px) 100vw, 1654px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Recruit Academy Starting Sizes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>This section was written on May 28, 2022. The chart was updated on January 11, 2023, adding Academy 49.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Recruit Academy 48 started this week with 56 new recruits. It&#8217;s the largest academy in city history. What has that distribution looked like over time? Here&#8217;s a chart of academy sizes, plus notes on those years that new stations and new ladder companies were added, and those academies that started concurrently, or included members of other departments.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-academy-sizes.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6938\" src=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-academy-sizes.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1633\" height=\"859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-academy-sizes.jpg 1633w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-academy-sizes-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-academy-sizes-1536x808.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-academy-sizes-730x384.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1633px) 100vw, 1633px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Recruit Academy Graduating Class Sizes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>This section was written on January 11, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Recruit Academy 48 graduated late last month. Here&#8217;s a chart of graduating class sizes. It includes the very short Academy 49, which graduated the city&#8217;s first lateral-hired firefighters in the fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-graduates1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6935\" src=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-graduates1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1604\" height=\"859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-graduates1.jpg 1604w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-graduates1-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-graduates1-1536x823.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-01-11-rfd-graduates1-730x391.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1604px) 100vw, 1604px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Recruit Academy Length<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>This section was written on April 21, 2024 and updated on January 9, 2025.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s look at recruit academy lengths over time. Orange are the &#8220;short&#8221; academies, with certification and experience as a hiring requirement. Red is the short &#8220;lateral&#8221; academy, with recruits hired with two or more years of experience and current certifications as career firefighters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8559\" src=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025-01-09-rfd-chart.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1201\" height=\"828\" srcset=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025-01-09-rfd-chart.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025-01-09-rfd-chart-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025-01-09-rfd-chart-730x503.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1201px) 100vw, 1201px\" \/><\/p>\n<div data-animation=\"no-animation\" data-icons-animation=\"no-animation\" data-overlay=\"on\" data-change-size=\"\" data-button-size=\"0.7\" style=\"font-size:0.7em!important;display:none;\" class=\"supsystic-social-sharing supsystic-social-sharing-package-flat supsystic-social-sharing-content supsystic-social-sharing-content-align-left\" data-text=\"\"><a data-networks=\"[]\" class=\"social-sharing-button sharer-flat sharer-flat-8 counter-standard without-counter facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Flegeros.com%2Fblog%2Fraleigh-fire-data%2F\" data-main-href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u={url}\" data-nid=\"1\" data-name=\"\" data-pid=\"1\" data-post-id=\"6534\" data-url=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" data-description=\"Raleigh Fire Department History - Charts and Data\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-mailto=\"\"><i class=\"fa-ssbs fa-ssbs-fw fa-ssbs-facebook\"><span>Share<\/span><\/i><div class=\"counter-wrap standard\"><span class=\"counter\">0<\/span><\/div><\/a><a data-networks=\"[]\" class=\"social-sharing-button sharer-flat sharer-flat-8 counter-standard without-counter twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Flegeros.com%2Fblog%2Fraleigh-fire-data%2F&text=Raleigh+Fire+Department+History+%26%238211%3B+Charts+and+Data\" data-main-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url={url}&text={title}\" data-nid=\"2\" data-name=\"\" data-pid=\"1\" data-post-id=\"6534\" data-url=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" data-description=\"Raleigh Fire Department History - Charts and Data\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-mailto=\"\"><i class=\"fa-ssbs fa-ssbs-fw fa-ssbs-twitter\"><span>Share<\/span><\/i><div class=\"counter-wrap standard\"><span class=\"counter\">0<\/span><\/div><\/a><a data-networks=\"[]\" class=\"social-sharing-button sharer-flat sharer-flat-8 counter-standard without-counter pinterest\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Pinterest\" href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/link\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flegeros.com%2Fblog%2Fraleigh-fire-data%2F&description=Raleigh+Fire+Department+History+%26%238211%3B+Charts+and+Data\" data-main-href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/link\/?url={url}&description={title}\" data-nid=\"7\" data-name=\"\" data-pid=\"1\" data-post-id=\"6534\" data-url=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" data-description=\"Raleigh Fire Department History - Charts and Data\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-mailto=\"\"><i class=\"fa-ssbs fa-ssbs-fw fa-ssbs-pinterest\"><span>Share<\/span><\/i><div class=\"counter-wrap standard\"><span class=\"counter\">0<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated on March 8, 2026, with a link to a new chart on extra-alarm fires.\u00a0 Updated on June 1, 2015, with chart about hose cars and pumping engines delivered. Updated on January 9, 2025, with updated recruit academy length chart. Updated on June 5, 2024, with added chart comparing historical data on operations expansion. Updated &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/raleigh-fire-data\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading &lsquo;Raleigh Fire Department History &#8211; Charts and Data&rsquo; &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-animation=\"no-animation\" data-icons-animation=\"no-animation\" data-overlay=\"on\" data-change-size=\"\" data-button-size=\"0.7\" style=\"font-size:0.7em!important;display:none;\" class=\"supsystic-social-sharing supsystic-social-sharing-package-flat supsystic-social-sharing-content supsystic-social-sharing-content-align-left\" data-text=\"\"><a data-networks=\"[]\" class=\"social-sharing-button sharer-flat sharer-flat-8 counter-standard without-counter facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Flegeros.com%2Fblog%2Fraleigh-fire-data%2F\" data-main-href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u={url}\" data-nid=\"1\" data-name=\"\" data-pid=\"1\" data-post-id=\"6534\" data-url=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" data-description=\"Raleigh Fire Department History - Charts and Data\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-mailto=\"\"><i class=\"fa-ssbs fa-ssbs-fw fa-ssbs-facebook\"><span>Share<\/span><\/i><div class=\"counter-wrap standard\"><span class=\"counter\">0<\/span><\/div><\/a><a data-networks=\"[]\" class=\"social-sharing-button sharer-flat sharer-flat-8 counter-standard without-counter twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Flegeros.com%2Fblog%2Fraleigh-fire-data%2F&text=Raleigh+Fire+Department+History+%26%238211%3B+Charts+and+Data\" data-main-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url={url}&text={title}\" data-nid=\"2\" data-name=\"\" data-pid=\"1\" data-post-id=\"6534\" data-url=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" data-description=\"Raleigh Fire Department History - Charts and Data\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-mailto=\"\"><i class=\"fa-ssbs fa-ssbs-fw fa-ssbs-twitter\"><span>Share<\/span><\/i><div class=\"counter-wrap standard\"><span class=\"counter\">0<\/span><\/div><\/a><a data-networks=\"[]\" class=\"social-sharing-button sharer-flat sharer-flat-8 counter-standard without-counter pinterest\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Pinterest\" href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/link\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flegeros.com%2Fblog%2Fraleigh-fire-data%2F&description=Raleigh+Fire+Department+History+%26%238211%3B+Charts+and+Data\" data-main-href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/link\/?url={url}&description={title}\" data-nid=\"7\" data-name=\"\" data-pid=\"1\" data-post-id=\"6534\" data-url=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" data-description=\"Raleigh Fire Department History - Charts and Data\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-mailto=\"\"><i class=\"fa-ssbs fa-ssbs-fw fa-ssbs-pinterest\"><span>Share<\/span><\/i><div class=\"counter-wrap standard\"><span class=\"counter\">0<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6534"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6534"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9642,"href":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6534\/revisions\/9642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}