{"id":9024,"date":"2025-06-08T18:58:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T22:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/?p=9024"},"modified":"2025-06-28T07:24:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T11:24:26","slug":"norwood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/norwood\/","title":{"rendered":"Norwood City Fire Department History"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a blog version of a Facebook posting<\/a> from June 8, 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Looking back at the Norwood City Fire Department, that operated from the 1920s to 2016. Today, the Town of Norwood NC is protected by Center Rural Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. Below are assorted milestones and other citations from the local newspaper. See source clippings and more in this Google Drive<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Early Fire Protection<\/strong><\/p>\n

1922 \u2013 Town fire equipment consisted of a chemical tank and hand hose reels. [SNP, 3\/4\/58] The town population in 1920 was 1,221. [Wiki]<\/p>\n

1924, Mar \u2013 First fire truck delivered. It was equipped with a chemical tank. [SNP, 3\/11\/24]<\/p>\n

1925, Jun \u2013 Snapshot from Sanborn Maps. NFD had a volunteer chief and \u201cno organized company.\u201d Ford truck with two 35-gallon chemical tanks, 150-feet of one-inch hose attached to each tank. Two hand chemical extinguishers and one ladder. Plus 1000-feet of 2 1\/2-inch hose. No alarm system, used church bells and mill whistles. Fire station was one-story building behind town jail (still standing!) on Allenton Avenue (today Campbell Street) and beside water tower.<\/p>\n

Fire Department Reorganized<\/strong><\/p>\n

1944, Mar \u2013 Fire department reorganized and upgraded. The effort was led by Franklin Hutchinson, also named as new fire chief. Members built the first fire truck using a 1939 Chevrolet truck. [SNP, 2\/4\/58, 11\/22\/63] By May 29, 1945, they had saved five homes. [SNP, 5\/29\/45] The town population in 1940 was 1,515. [Wiki]<\/p>\n

1946, Feb 12 \u2013 NFD planned to build a second fire truck as a service truck and using a donated 1941 Mercury station wagon. It would be modified carry \u201cmuch of the equipment that [was] overloading the present truck.\u201d They would also add a front-mounted pump, booster tank, and a set of ladders. The current fire truck was built in 1944 by department members and with no cost to the town. [SLP, 2\/12\/46]<\/p>\n

1946, Sep 9 – NFD had an “auxiliary hook and ladder fire truck” by this time. It was also stolen a few days earlier, after sitting in front of Maner’s garage with the keys in it. It was recovered two days later, undamaged. It was subsequently painted red “to make it more conspicuous.” [SNP, 9\/6\/46]<\/p>\n

1946, Sep 20 \u2013 Second fire truck had been added. It was \u201cchristened\u201d the prior week. [SNP, 9\/20\/46]<\/p>\n

1947, Jan 17 \u2013 Date cited for establishing Norwood City Fire Department, in a 2011 news story. [SNP, 1\/23\/11]<\/p>\n

Rescue Squad and Rural Department<\/strong><\/p>\n

1956, Jul 7 \u2013 Department had started a project to \u201corganize and equipment a rescue squad\u201d to serve the area. [SNP, 7\/17\/56]<\/p>\n

1957, fall \u2013 Norwood Rural VFD organized, to protect areas outside of the town. It was also called Norwood Community Rural VFD, Center Rural VFD and Norwood Central VFD. By January 1958, they had two pumpers, including the former Ca-Vel plant pumper. The trucks were housed in the old H & M Motors building in town, but they had purchased a lot for building a fire station. They had 25 volunteer firemen. [SNP, 1\/21\/58]<\/p>\n

1957, Dec 6 \u2013 Town received its first factory-made pumper, a Ford F-700\/American LaFrance, 750\/300. Cost $13,000, delivered by rail, and the same type as recently added by the city of Albemarle. NFD had two trucks, with three others in town as needed from NRVFD (two trucks) and the Ca-Val plant (one truck). The town had about 42 volunteers, with another 25 or more in the rural department. [SNP, 12\/6\/57]<\/p>\n

1958, Feb 4 \u2013 Snapshot. NFD was located adjacent to the town hall on Main Street. The firemen had completely renovated and furnished the basement and had a \u201ccomplete kitchen and comfortable meeting room.\u201d They had the following vehicles:<\/p>\n

– 1939 Chevy\/____ pumper, 500\/215
\n– 1942 Mercury station wagon pumper conversion with front-mounted pump, 300\/121
\n– 1957 Ford F-700\/American LaFrance pumper, 750\/300
\n– 1957 Chevy automobile, fire chief\u2019s car
\n– 1948 Cadillac ambulance, used as Norwood Rescue Squad vehicle
\n– Trailer and 16-foot boat with outboard motor<\/p>\n

1958, Aug 5 \u2013 New fire station under construction for NRVFD at 117 Campbell Street, across from the town water plant. One-story brick building with two bays. [SNP, 8\/5\/58]<\/p>\n

1959, Nov 20 \u2013 Fire Chief Thomas Hutchinson, 53, died suddenly while en route to the hospital, following a heart attack the day before. He was the owner and operator of Hutchinson\u2019s Cleaners. [SNP, 11\/20\/59]<\/p>\n

1960, Jun 24 \u2013 Jack Hutchinson, brother of the late fire chief, was appointed chief of department. He replaced assistant chief Pines Maner, who had been serving as acting chief. [SNP, 6\/24\/60]<\/p>\n

1961, May 25 \u2013 New rescue truck placed in service, firefighters renovated and equipped a 1952 Ford panel-van. It replaced an older ambulance-type rescue truck. The Norwood Rescue Squad was a division of NFD. The captain was C. J. Clayton. The squad was comprised of NFD members. [SNP, 4\/25\/61]<\/p>\n

1962, Feb 24 \u2013 Volunteer firefighter Jessie S. Thompson died after suffering a heart attack while fighting a fire. He was resident of Norwood and an appliance salesman by day. Was he a city fireman? A rural fireman? TBD. The time of death was 4:20 p.m. [MJL]<\/p>\n

1963, Nov 5 \u2013 New fire station erected on Campbell Avenue at Pee Dee Avenue, part of a new $45,000 town hall complex. NFD and all other town departments were scheduled to move in over the next few days. The old town hall was located about two blocks away. [SNP, 11\/5\/63]<\/p>\n

1963, Nov 22 \u2013 Pines Maner named Chief of Department on November 14, 1963. [SNP, 11\/22\/63]<\/p>\n

Later Decade<\/strong><\/p>\n

1980, Dec 5 \u2013 City officials approved adding equipment to the rescue squad\u2019s ambulance, to meet stand standards. The squad did not want to be a franchised ambulance provider of emergency transport services but were willing to provide those services in \u201clife or death\u201d situations. The county was interested in using the squad to meet the needs for additional ambulance service in the south part of the county. [SNP, 12\/5\/80]<\/p>\n

1989, Jul 12 – Center Rural Engine 1 overturned. Two firefighters were injured. See story at bottom.\u00a0<\/p>\n

1989, Jul 13 \u2013 Newspaper reported that the \u201cfirst responders from the Norwood Rescue Squad\u201d had quit. The fire chief had notified the county EM director that \u201cthey no longer wanted to be a first responder agency.\u201d So-called nuisance calls were the problem, when arriving rescue squad members found patients who were not seriously ill or not needing emergency service. Early in the year, NFD sent a signed petition to the (local?) Emergency Management Service Board, signed by the 23 volunteer firemen and first responders, and gave the board until April 30 to do something about the calls. [SNP, 7\/13\/89]<\/p>\n

1989, Nov 9 \u2013 By this time, NRVFD was moving into a new fire station and the old fire station had been bought by the town, which would use it store trucks and equipment. [SNP, 11\/9\/89]<\/p>\n

1991, Jul 1 \u2013 Norwood Rescue Squad had resumed operation by this time. Then on July 1, the squad had stopped operating because of problems with insurance coverage, due to carrier requirement that all members of any town-operated squad be state certified at no less than Ambulance Attendant level. City officials asked NRVFD to take over the service. The rural department subsequently formed a first responder unit that was funded by the town. [SNP, 7\/11\/91]<\/p>\n

2001, Jun 5 \u2013 Last newspaper reference to the Norwood Rescue Squad, also called Norwood Rural Rescue Squad. [SNP, 6\/5\/01]<\/p>\n

2002, Nov 14 \u2013 Bid advertisement for a 1250\/1000 pumper on a 2000 or newer International 4900 chassis. [SNP, 2\/11\/02]<\/p>\n

2006, Oct 10 \u2013 Snapshot of NFD. Had 22 volunteers and answered an average of 75 calls per year. Tim Huneycutt was Fire Chief, replaced Chris Furr, after Chief Furr passed away. Apparatus:<\/p>\n

– 1986 Chevy equipment van
\n– 1989 pumper-tanker
\n– 1998 Chevy Suburban
\n– 2002 pumper-tanker
\n– Brush truck
\n– Rescue boat<\/p>\n

2010, Oct 7 \u2013 First paid fire chief had been hired by this time. John Lambeth, 49, recently retired from Albemarle. Lambeth had also volunteered with NFD since 2004. The new chief would work 20 hours a week, and be assisted by Andrew Cauble, also employed by AFD, and 20 volunteer members. [SNP, 10\/7\/10]<\/p>\n

2015, Feb 18 \u2013 Planned delivery date for new 2015 E-One pumper. It replaced a 1999 pumper, which would be converted into a service ladder truck. The current 1975 service ladder truck would be repurposed as a pick-up truck. [SNP, 2\/8\/15, 3\/26\/15]<\/p>\n

2015, Apr 23 \u2013 Bid advertisement for contractors for second fire station on Indian Mound Road. The satellite station was required for the town to \u201cmeet its legal obligation of providing a fire station within five miles\u201d of residents of Edgewater and Eagle Point communities. [SNP, 2\/8\/15, 4\/23\/15]<\/p>\n

2015, Aug 9 \u2013 Plans to build a second fire station had stalled. Land had been purchased, site plan had been created, and financing had been secured, but approval from the Local Government Commission was stalled. One member thought a new $475,000 fire station wasn\u2019t necessary, and notably with three fire stations already within four miles of each other. The other two were a pair of CRVFD stations. The new station had been planned since at least 2015. The project was later cancelled, after the newly elected town council reversed the previous board\u2019s decision to build the second fire station. [SNP, 8\/9\/15, 4\/19\/16]<\/p>\n

2016, Jan 10 \u2013 Town council opened the year\u2019s first meeting with \u201chopes to repair relations\u201d between the town and the rural fire department. Plans for a second city fire station on Indian Mound Road \u201crecently came to a halt\u201d and the officials discussed alternate solutions to protect the area, and to recoup the money already invested in the project. One proposal was to start discusses with CRVFD \u201cto explore options for contracting fire coverage.\u201d However, there had been \u201cpast friction\u201d between town officials and the rural department. The prior week, the Town Administrator and the Fire Chief both met with representatives with the state fire marshal\u2019s office, to \u201cweigh the options of contracting\u201d as \u201copposed to merging into one.\u201d The town was also working with the contractor of the Station 2 project to get the deposit refunded as well as the money back that was paid for permits. [SNP, 1\/10\/16]<\/p>\n

Entire Fire Department Resigns<\/strong><\/p>\n

2016, Apr 19 \u2013 Town firefighters and the mayor resigned Monday night, \u201cfed up with rumors and innuendos\u201d that the town council wanted to eliminate the municipal department in favor of contracting with CRVFD. All of the fire department\u2019s officials quit\u2014some 15 firefighters including the chief, two assistant chiefs, two captains, and a lieutenant–and Mayor Beverly Johnson followed their lead and later announced her resignation. Within ten minutes of the resignations, town officials contacted the 911 center and requested immediate coverage from the rural department. [SNP, 4\/19\/16]<\/p>\n

2016, Apr 24 \u2013 Town officials signed a temporary contract with CRVFD, in an emergency session on Thursday. The rural department would provide fire and rescue services within the town limits through June 30. After that, the temporary contract would be extended or a new contract created. The town was already paying CRVFD $15,000 a year for first responder coverage and no additional cost was incurred, CRVFD agreed to wave additional fees due to the extenuating circumstances and stressors faced by the town. [SNP, 4\/24\/16]<\/p>\n

2016, May 3 \u2013 On Monday night, the terms of a new fire protection contract were made public. The town would pay $75,000 annually to CRVFD. The town was already paying $6,000 annually for fire responder services. The additional fire services would cost $65,000. For the first year, the town would pay a one-time fee of $15,000 for integration of services, or pay a full amount of $90,000 by July 10. The contract was for three four-year terms, with two terms renewing automatically and including a 2.5 increase every four years. The town would retain ownership of the NFD assets but allow CRVFD to use the radios and electronic devices. [SLP, 5\/3\/16]<\/p>\n

2016, May 26 \u2013 \u201cResidents balk at proposed mayoral changes.\u201d Citizens \u201cunleashed their latest angst\u201d at a town council meeting on May 16, in response to a proposed change that would change how the mayor was elected. Instead of an election by voters, the mayor would be appointed by town commissioners. [SNP, 5\/26\/16]<\/p>\n

2017, May 23 \u2013 CRVFD volunteer firefighter Christopher Coone, 28, died off-duty in a vehicle accident. He was a town employee, who was driving a town work truck at the time of the accident. [SNP, 5\/15\/17]<\/p>\n

2017, Jun 1 \u2013 CRVFD held a public hearing on Tuesday to discuss plans to build a new fire station on Main Street. However, the public meeting \u201cturned into a verbal altercation between citizens.\u201d CRVFD proposed a new $2M facility with double the square footage of the current fire station.<\/p>\n

2018, Jun 5 \u2013 New CRVFD fire station on Main Street was under construction at this time. The $1.8M facility was expected to be completed by the end of the summer. [SNP, 6\/5\/18]<\/p>\n

2023, Jan 21 \u2013 Town approved new contract with CRVFD, raised from $76,875 annually to $135,500 plus a one-time payment of $53,125 for capital improvements. The additional funds were needed \u201cfor a new truck and to outfit the satellite station.\u201d [SNP, 12\/10\/22, 1\/21\/23]<\/p>\n

Center Rural Engine 1 Overturns – July 12, 1989<\/strong><\/p>\n

Engine 1 severely damaged after overturning on Indian Mount Road near Lake Shore Drive on July 12, 1989. The 1975 Ford\/____ was on a service call to the Norwood Stockyards, taking water for the livestock.<\/p>\n

Two firefighters were aboard, driver Glenn Bryant Snuggs, 25, and junior firefighter Chad Stewart Livingston, 17. Both were transported to Stanly Memorial Hospital, and then transferred to Charlotte Memorial Hospital. Livingston by MEDSTAR helicopter and Snuggs by ambulance.<\/p>\n

In the next day’s Stanly News and Press, Snuggs was reported in serious but stable condition. Livingston was in critical but stable condition.<\/p>\n

The apparatus overturned about 10:20 a.m. after the driver apparently lost control. The pumper ran off the road, struck a power pole, and overturned. The $125,000 engine was totaled. The accident also disrupted power for two areas.<\/p>\n

Neighboring departments immediately offered their help. Norwood City FD would begin responding with Center Rural, until the department “was back to normal.” Oakboro City FD loaned a pumper, for the department’s use.<\/p>\n

Livingston’s Injuries, Family Fundraiser<\/strong><\/p>\n

Subsequent stories reported on the nature of Livingston’s injuries, which included two broken legs, head injuries, a broken jawbone, and a broken collar bone. The newspaper on August 10, “His jaw is wired so all of the nourishment he can receive is liquids and very thin purees. He is getting tired of liquid taters. He has three more weeks of this. Chad wants some real food.”<\/p>\n

On August 26, “Celebrate a Miracle,” a “benefit dinner and gospel singing” was held at Community Freewill Baptist Church. The event started at noon with hot dogs and hamburgers “hot off the grill,” with “southern gospel music by stereo.” And with participants sharing their own miracles in their lives. Live gospel music would start at 7:00 p.m. in the church sanctuary from The Lisk Family Gospel Singers of Norwood and the Coffee Family from Concord. All proceeds would benefit Livingston’s family<\/p>\n

Eighteen Months Later<\/strong><\/p>\n

Livingston recovered from his injuries and was one of the members shown in a newspaper photo on November 1, 1990, about the replacement pumper that Center Rural ordered. The $125,000 engine, a 1990 Ford\/____, was delivered in white over red, instead of the older lime yellow. It was housed in the department’s new fire station.<\/p>\n