Raleigh/Wake Firefighting Blog  -

Earlier this month, a former USAF member contacted the Goldsboro Fire Department for information on a tanker explosion that occurred on November 11, 1959. He was one of the Seymour-Johnson personnel who responded to the fatal car-truck collision, and was seeking historical information about the incident. GFD referred this person to Mike, who looked up the News & Observer and Raleigh Times accounts at the library. Three days after the tanker crash, Mike discovered, was when 65 freight cars jumped the tracks in Chatham County. Now, he'd heard of this incident while researching his books. The Apex Fire Department responded, the old timers remember, and poured water for a number of days to prevent yellow phosphorous from igniting. No date was remembered, nor were any old articles found. But now he knows. November 14, 1959. Click to enlarge:

Raleigh versus Charlotte versus Durham versus Greenville, on the subject of hiring and with perspectives on working at those departments.

Weird tone on Headquarters, approximately 10:10 p.m. Wait, that's Station 28. That's why it sounds new. Thus the life of a fire geek, sitting around and listening for unfamiliar radio tones...

The Wake County EMS major ops vehicle is featured on the Hackney web site. Cool pics and good article.

As blogged on an earlier posting, here are some links to galleries of Japanese fire apparatus: Tokyo Fire Department (four galleries), Morita (manufacturer), Nagano (manufacturer), Nikki (manufacturer), a buff's gallery and another buff's gallery.

For a few years now, Mike has occasionally ordered Japanese fire apparatus books from Amazon Japan. The site is same as Amazon US, just with Kanji characters. So with trial and error, and the help of a translation site, it was reasonably easy to order books. Searching for books was trickier, until Mike figured out he could paste characters as keywords from Japanese fire apparatus site. (He neither reads nor speaks Japanese, but just finds their fire apparatus to be cool.) Shipping was a bit expensive, but the books were breathtaking and with some of sharpest image reproduction seen in print. Some of his faves include this one, this one, and this one. Last May, Mike moved. In November, he ordered some books but they were sent to his old address. The parcel never surfaced, despite the delivery confirmation at the old address. Mike re-ordered the books and forgot about the whole thing. This weekend, a refund arrived. Six months later, the original parcel had unexpectedly found its way back to Japan. Total refunded: 4,981 yen ($40.95).

Day trip due east found four former firehouses near the shore, or on the way there. Left to right, top to bottom: Kitty Hawk (built 1953, former wine store), Kitty Hawk (built by 1967, public works), Manteo (built 1941, private owned), and Plymouth (built 1970, town storage).

For those wanting to learn how to photograph or better photograph fire apparatus, FireNews created this guide to apparatus photography last year. It includes Truck Placement, Do's and Don'ts, Technical Stuff, Examples, and a Photographer's Checklist. The Do's and Don'ts page has some particularly good examples of common mistakes.

Lee has posted pics of new apparatus from Zebulon, Fuquay, and Falls. Includes one of those popular new brush trucks. LOL.

For your holiday reading enjoyment, here's a new history piece on the development of the Raleigh Fire Department in the early 1910s. During this period the first full-time fire chief was appointed, the first fully-paid firefighters were hired, and the first motor apparatus was purchased. The narrative is drawn primarily from newspaper accounts and city minutes, and consists nearly entirely of paraphrasing or direct quotations. And though its has been proofed some dozen times, there's probably a typo or two to be found. Feel free to red pen accordingly.

Found while answering to a reader question regarding the location of the original structure, this the News & Observer article from June 3, 1937, suggests the first relay pumping in Raleigh occured when the home of George W. Mordecai on Wake Forest Road burned: "From an oil plant 300 yards away, firemen ran one two-inch hose to take advantage of the meager water supply available there. They found it necessary to employ booster pumps at both ends of the line-- the first time this had been attempted here, Chief Holland said. One pumper was parked at the oil plant to boost the water up grade to the burning house. Another pumper was stationed there to increase the line pressure."

Answering a reader question, WCPS published a PDF-format guide to monitoring the radio system back when they were moving to the 800 system. If you have never seen same, or have been looking for it lately, a copy is linked from RadioReference.com's VIPER page.

The opening ceremony for Station 28 is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4, at 2:00 p.m., we're told. The event, open to the public, will include a housing ceremony for the engine. This traditional activity involves pushing the engine by hand into the station.

Which hat shall we wear today? Photographer? Researcher? Historian? Blogger? There are so many flavors of buffing to choose from, and they all compete for the same span of free time. It's a daily battle of choice, and one that probably won't be made easier after retirement (in a couple decades) or winning the lottery (in our dreams). READ MORE

Something interesting from the National Emergency Medical Services Museum Foundation, the grand opening of a virtual museum. Super neat, though with challenging navigation in places. Usability testing will fix that. Looks like a lot of content throughout. Very cool. Virtual museums are easy to create, or at least to name as such. Witness this far-simpler Raleigh Fire Department Virtual Museum.

Here's a strong picture of the abandoned building on Garner Road that burned on Monday night, from this series by Lee. Capturing all the light from a fully-involved structure is trickier than you think. Another abandoned building on Garner Road burned the next night.

Seen in this Firehouse web site article, an apparatus accident in Upper Darby Township, PA. Yowza. Seven FFs injured, including one requiring extrication expected to be released from the hospital today. More info.

Heard on scanner, subject has something stuck in her throat and her mouth is wired shut. Crazy... Eyes tired after two hours of working on footnotes, for an upcoming RFD history piece. Separating the quotations from the paraphrasing is the hardest part.. Nobody at the blog dinner, except for Yours Truly. Ate a hamburger and read the paper... Structure fire earlier, with Headquarters asking command if they wanted to upgrade to a working fire. Yes, upgrade. One second later, the tones start. Five seconds later, command continues on the other channel, but hold off on notifications. They are quick on the draw at dispatch... READ MORE

Who wants to buy a fire truck? Zebulon's 1948 Mack Type 45 pumper is being auctioned as part of a two-day auction on June 15th and 16th. The post-War engine was purchased new by the town for $7,150. It is equipped with a 500 GPM pump and a 150 gallon tank. Later bought by a private citizen, the classic apparatus has been used several times a year by the fire department for education and other public events. It was also maintained as needed by fire department members. Here's the auction web site. The vehicle sale starts Saturday, June 16th at 1:00 p.m. Note that Mike's records say 1948 as the model year, and the auction site says 1945. Not sure who is correct. We're told the thing could catch $8,000 to $10,000, or maybe higher, or maybe much higher. Let's hope someone local can buy it and keep it from leaving Wake County.

From the Raleigh Times on May 29, 1912: "An alarm from box 27, this morning at 9:30, called the fire department to 311 East Cabarrus street, where a small blaze was discovered in the hen house of Mr. Bob Conrad. Somebody said that Bob had been feeding his chickens red pepper and the warm weather caused a spontaneous combustion. Anyway it wasn't much of a conflagration, as a brave fire laddie kicked over the drinking pan and the fire was no more. The usual parade of spectators was held."

And on some days the stars are aligned, and a working fire is right around the corner, and there's an unobtrusive vantage point, and the ISO and other settings are working as they should at night. Still feels like it takes forever to get out of the house, even with the car backed into the garage. Maybe the next step is trip lights and a rip 'n' run. The wife would love that.

From the Wake County budget document web page, EMS expenditures are listed in the Public Safety chapter. Performance measures and major accomplishments are also listed. READ MORE

The proposed FY08 budget for Wake County was released yesterday. The budget document web page is divided into chapters, with each chapter as a PDF document. Unlike a municipal budget, this one requires a bit of decoding. READ MORE

At tonight's ceremony honoring Wake EMS paramedics and Raleigh firefighters involved in cardiac arrest resuscitations, Wake EMS Chief Skip Kirkwood reminded the audience of the economic challenges facing Wake County. As the population grows-- 98 people per day-- so do demands on emergency services. And more delivery means more funding. Advocates of the school system have got it right, with their printed t-shirts that they wear when attending county meetings. What then do WE need to do, ourselves, to boost city and county fire, rescue, and EMS services? Or, more appropriately, what are we WILLING to do? Brainstorming is easy-- see this Watch Desk entry-- but actions make it happen.

This is what Ladder 1 looks like leaving the station on a run. Mike's lens was just wide enough. Admit it, there are few things more fun that steering the rear of a tiller truck.

Fat Daddy's on Glenwood Avenue, Wednesday, May 23, at 7:00 p.m. RSVP not required. In-service units welcome.

Mike has uploaded a new collection of photos of former and historic NC firehouses to his Flickr site. The 162 photographs were taken over the last three years. Quite a few were "Photoshopped" to correct converging verticals. You know, where straight lines in a photograph appear tilted? Photoshop Elements 5.0 has a Correct Camera Distortion filter that works wonders for that. Next up is learning how to prevent or minimize same when shooting.

Take the quiz! This was created for yesterday's event. You can also download a PDF-version version as desired. READ MORE

There was love to spare Saturday at the first-ever Raleigh Fire Department Media and Retiree Day. Dozens of former FFs (and widows of former FFs) and their family members arrived at the Keeter Training Center, shuttled from an off-site parking location. They were treated to lunch and fellowship, and given photo ID cards created on the spot. Apparatus and equipment was displayed on both the upper drill pad and the lower parking lot. The drill tower was open, as was the new Field Comm unit. Haz-mat and USAR were also present. EMS was there and showing the new Major Operations Unit. There were wandering bagpipers, a patrolling bike team, and the wafting wonderful smell of BBQ. Inside was a history room with posters, slideshows, and even some old color movies. Lee took pictures all day and Mike helped create the history room. Here are PDF versions of the history stuff. 'Twas a half-day event, not open to the public. Four hours of heaven and perfect weather, too. Pictures forthcoming.

The two Pierce rescues should be ready in June, we're told. The new Pierce engine and ladder, however, are still due in August. The four trucks were originally expected in May.

The corner of Hargett and McDowell streets was approved this week as the future location of the Clarence E. Lightner Public Safety Center. The long-planned project will comprise an estimated 146,000 net square feet and be headquarters for fire and police. It will also house the Emergency Communications Center, Emergency Operations, and Traffic Signal Control, as well as general office space as part of a proposed 260,000 gross square foot office tower. At one time there was talk of also including a fire station in the facility, though that was since dropped from the project we're told. The fire department's administrative offices are presently located at 310 West Martin Street and at Station 1. Here's the related press release.

Congratulations to Raleigh's newest Captains and Lieutenants. They were honored at a ceremony on Tuesday at the City Council Chambers. The new Captains: D .M. Davidson, T. N. Duke, L. C. Johnson, M. S. Porter, R. M. Siebel, A. D. Tant, J. L. Ward, C. W. Wilson: The new Lieutenants: T. D. Aspend, B. J. Averette, B. A. Batten, R. E. Byrd, L. F. Hufham, J. C. Ford, M. T. Furr, B. J. Kilmer, H. P. Kissenger, J. R. Patterson, M. A. Stone. Here's the city's press release.

Raleigh's Division Chief has a new ride, a 2007 Chevy Tahoe that replaces a 2005 Ford Expedition. Check out the pin-striped lettering. Now that's bling!

From the public safety section of the city's proposed budget, two graphs illustrate fire and EMS calls answered by RFD. Wonder what the call types looked like over time, on both the fire and EMS side? Love looking at data... Click to enlarge:

How many people use Firefox or another non-Microsoft web browser? Keep those hands raised. On legeros.com this week, using web analytics software provided by the service provider, about 40% of users use Internet Explorer. Another 39% percent use a Mozilla Compatible Agent, such as Netscape Navigator. Less than 7% use Firefox. Okay, translate that into something we can all see. On the Wake County Emergency Information page, the main page, there is a left-side navigation menu that takes you to Fire or EMS or elsewhere. UNLESS, that is, you are using version 2.0.0.1 of Firefox. Then there's nothing. Nada. Just the text and image in the main part of the page. How many users in that situation would know to try another browser? So, for site admins reading this, is YOUR site compatible with multiple browsers? Check and see. You may be surprised. Click to enlarge:

...does not appear to be available on the Wake County budget site. What's up with that? Past budgets are not available, either. The lone budget document, for FY07, is but a single document. No separated chapters or smaller documents. Curiouser and curiouser. Using the site-wide search, however, older budget information is surfaced. Somebody in the Budget department could do worse than to request greater and easier transparency for the presentation of current and prior budgets, both adopted and proposed, on the web.

From this press release also available on the county site, there's an EMS day on Sunday, May 20, from 12:00-4:00 p.m. at the Kroger supermarket, 1610 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Their cool new Major Operations Support Unit will be on display. There will also be a ceremony to honor Wake EMS paramedics and Raleigh firefighters involved in cardiac arrest resuscitations on Monday, May 21, at 7:00 p.m. at the Fletcher Opera Theater in Raleigh. And there will be a baseball game for EMS responders and their families (and the general public) at Five County Stadium on Thursday, May 24, at 7:15 p.m. Unknown if EMS personnel or officials will be singing the national anthem. Play ball!

Here's an interesting article about Pittsburgh EMS, with a television station turning their eye that EMS system after a lower-priority (e.g. non-life threatening injury) patient waited 26 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Is that ultimately what's required for better funding, media or public reaction or outrage? Nobody typically cares until something affects them. Witness the school system business. Or does it take more direct involvement, such as an elected official who is the one experiencing the service? The article also cites "national standards" that call for paramedics to arrive at life-threatening emergencies within eight minutes 90% of the time. Couldn't easily find (via Google) references to national standards. What are Wake County's average response times? Last year's budget document cites 11:59 minutes as the FY07 target for both Wake EMS and the Wake EMS system, for "emergency responses" for an ambulance. Unknown if "emergency responses" equal "life-threatening emergencies," so comparisons could be unfair.

Random information compilation, a dozen or so historic fire service structures in the great walled city. This is a placeholder page, where Mike will add details from time to time. And better pictures, whenever he can get back to Charleston. Watch for a web or print article someday.

For the rest of Wake County's municipalities, here are more proposed budgets. READ MORE

Looking at the town of Cary's proposed budget, the fire department section reviews accomplishments and a host of performance measures and workload indicators. In the CIP section, these capital expenses are listed: thermal imaging camera replacement, SCBA upgrade and replacement, service truck replacement, and site acquisition for Station #8 in southwest Cary. The ten-year CIP plan is also available. Nice that the town's site offers both PDF and HTML views of these documents, as well, and in very small sections.

The city's proposed annual budget has been released. Highlights from the public safety section , of proposed FD expenses: replace one engine, add three full-time fire investigators, add five mobile data terminals for chief officers, continue offering Capital Leadership training program to personnel, and replace a gas chemical identifier. The list of accomplishments from the prior budget year is notably robust and provides a detailed look into the department's workings and beyond the usual stations / apparatus / personnel perspective. Other budget items: the ECC is getting the city Radio Shop, and adding ten telecommunicator positions; PD is moving to the 800 mhz radio system. READ MORE

That short spell of storms saw some interesting runs on the north side. Western Wake sent an engine to the working fire on Springdale Drive, 8.94 miles. Wake Forest also sent their ladder, a mere 18.84 miles. Now that's a run! Raleigh, Durham Highway, Bay Leaf, and Falls also.

Silver Crown Vic with license tag NOTACOP! Unknown if driver looked the part.

From a reader, how do we store our digital images for the long term? Mike has a quartet of external hard drives. Two are huge and two are small. One a good day, everything on the two small drives is also on one of the large drives. The second of the large drives is stored off-site and will hopefully never be used for disaster recovery. Mike names all individual image files as they're seen on his web site: YYYY-MM-DD-agency-street-mjl. Example: 2007-05-12-rfd-snelling-rd-mjl. Those are stored in folders named: YYYY-MM-DD-agency-street. Works pretty well. For fast renaming of files, Mike uses the application Flash Renamer.

Sleep stops. Did a dream end or a siren sound? Seconds later, Engine 16 or Ladder 16 is warbling at the end of the block. Better check the pager. Structure fire on Snelling Road, just around the corner. 'Tis a great way to wake up. The only thing better might be a vollie-style siren. Don't think the wife would like that, though. Now, for shooting in the rain, just use a big umbrella. Hold camera in other hand. Tilt in direction of wind as needed. Prep camera before leaving vehicle, e.g. camera settings. Pick and stick with one lens. And don your all-weather gear BEFORE you leave instead of after you arrive. Works every time.

At long last, a delivery photo of Raleigh's first fire engine. This was one of two American LaFrance Type 5 combination chemical hose cars delivered in early 1913. They were powered by 48 HP four-cylinder engines and equipped with 40-gallon chemical tanks and 1,000 feet of hose plus other equipment. The photo source is the new American LaFrance apparatus reg