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North Carolina State Firefighters' AssociationHistory / TimelineLast updated August 19, 2019 Contents
Early History - 1887 to 1837As presented in the souvenir program for the 1937 convention in Greensboro, held August 9, 10, 11, 12, with some formatting changes and annotations [noted in brackets]: From colonial times until the eventful year of 1887 very little progress was made in the State of North Carolina toward the prevention and fighting of fires. In that year a small group of citizens from various towns in the Old North State met in Greensboro, and while standing on the sidewalk in front of the old Union Hotel in Greensboro decided to organize what is now known as the North Carolina State Firemen's Association. [ Mr. George McNeill, speaking at the 1927 convention: One afternoon in the late summer of 1888 three young fire chiefs were sitting in front of the old Benbow Hotel in this city. Your venerable citizen, Mr. J. Harper Elam, and Charles D. Benbow, Sr., were two of those men, and my father was the other. They had just read an account of an organization of State Firemen in the State of New Jersey, and those three men suggested the idea of a similar organization for North Carolina. A few weeks later a meeting of the fire chiefs was held in this city and the organization perfected, Mr. Charles D. Benbow being elected as the first President. [1] ] History gives us the names of the following individuals as being among that group: C. D. Benbow, J. G. Fowler, H. J. Elam, A. T. Boyd, C. F. Thomas, J. R. Donnell, Charles Whittington, and S. D. Wilson, of Greensboro; Jas. D. McNeill, of Fayetteville; J. T. Thacker, W. F. Keith, S. A. Sink, C. D. Snipes, F. H. Vogler, F. G. Meinung, of Winston-Salem; E. B. Engelhard, T. W. Blake, F. H. Lumsden, Frank Brannan, of Raleigh; J. B. Swinson, of Charlotte; and H. E. Heartt, of Durham, and others. The result of this discussion led to a request to the state legislature for a charter, which was later granted, and a determination to hold the first annual convention of the Association in 1888. Accordingly, on the 26th day of September, 1888, the first annual convention was called to order at Greensboro in old Bogart Hall. [1] NCSFA 1927 proceedings, p11. Later History - 1887 to 1953As presented in the souvenir program for the 1953 convention in Greensboro, with some formatting changes and annotations [noted in brackets]:
In the early
years of the organization there were only about two hundred firemen in the
State, the larger cities of today being small villages, with nothing but
volunteer organizations. During that time hand reels and hand pumps were the
only devices available for the protection of life and property from the
devastating force of fire.
Soon after the
organization of the State Firemen's Association, improvements began to be
made and the organization grew in number. About this time the first
horse-drawn hose and chemical wagons came into general use, and shortly
after that the old familiar steamers were brought to the State.
During the first
meeting of the organization held in Raleigh in connection with obtaining the
charter, ways and means were discussed to create more interest in fire
fighting among the firemen of the State, who were, of course, all
volunteers. The result of this meeting was a decision to hold a tournament
in connection with the first convention. It was decided to hold competitive
events in reel races, horse-drawn hose wagons and for quick steam from the
steamers. The first of these contests was accordingly held in Greensboro in
1888 on what is now known as South Elm Street, at that time an unpaved and
badly rutted street. This feature proved so popular that even today it is
the principal feature of the annual convention.
These contests
have been held at every convention since that time except during the World
War, at which time so many members had been drafted for the service that the
various departments were badly crippled in man power. However, in 1919 at
Asheville it was decided to restore the contests and at Fayetteville in 1920
they were again resumed.
[ In 1920, the
motor apparatus contests were added, as a replacement for the horse-drawn
apparatus races. In 1926, the Association received a new American LaFrance
motor hose/chemical truck, donated by the regional factor representative. It
was obtained for use in the annual races, and to reduce the burden on
participating departments from bringing their own apparatus. ]
In 1907 a group
of volunteer firemen went before the General Assembly and secured the
passage of an act whereby firemen and their families could be given some
protection in cases of disability or death while fighting fires. This was
done by a tax on foreign insurance companies in the amount of one-half of
one percent of the premiums paid by residents of North Carolina. This money
is distributed annually to the various fire departments by the Insurance
Commissioner.
In 1921,
realizing that firemen should have even more protection to compensate them
for their hazardous occupation, the North Carolina State Firemen's Insurance
Fund was organized. This branch of our organization provides insurance for
firemen and is supported through an assessment plan. It has done much toward
helping to keep widows and orphans from becoming dependent upon charity.
In 1912
Honorable James R. Young, the first Insurance Commissioner of the State of
North Carolina, devised a plan to reduce fire losses by securing a man with
knowledge and training to go about the State and train the firemen in the
various departments. After a statewide survey for a man capable of
undertaking such a task, he found the man in Raleigh, his own home town.
Subsequent achievements of this man has proven that no better choice could
have been made. Our own Sherwood Brockwell was the man chosen and in a short
while he became well known throughout the State and today is famous
throughout the entire United States, being universally recognized as the man
who has don '! more for the advancement of efficient fire fighting methods
and the training of firemen than any other man.
As the outgrowth
of his work, Mr. Brockwell conceived the idea of a regular annual training
school for firemen and in 1930 the North Carolina Firemen's Training School
was organized. This was the first of its kind to be put into practice among
volunteer fire men throughout the entire country.
The State
Association has done much to encourage the use of modern equipment
throughout the State, and as early as 1910 the first steps were taken to
discard horses for motor-drawn apparatus, and in 1913 began the replacement
of the steamer with motor-driven pumps.
By the year
1929[,] the North Carolina State Firemen's Association had grown so large
that it was necessary to employ an all-time secretary. In that year[,] the
services of John L. Miller, of Concord, were secured and through the
affectionate regard in which he is held by every fireman in the State of
North Carolina he has done much toward the present high development of the
Association and the promotion of harmony and prosperity among its
membership. Today this membership will exceed four thousand firemen.
As a result of
these constructive activities by this organization, many benefits have
accrued to the State of North Carolina; in many respects more than any other
State in the Union enjoys as the result of their state firemen 's
organizations. Fire losses are lower in the Old North State, and this factor
alone has been an inducement to many manufacturers to locate within our
boundary. It is the hope of the present membership of the Association that
the generation who will serve our people fifty years from today can say of
us as we today say to those members who have worked so faithfully and so
successfully during the past fifty years, "Well done, good and faithful
servants of the Old North State! "
Milestones1888 to 1949
1950 to 1989
1990 to 2020
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