GVFD History

History Pic The Garner Volunteer Fire Department first originated in 1952 when Garner was a small community south of Raleigh. It operated mainly on contributions and service contracts with the Town of Garner. In 1988, the department began accepting Wake County tax money. Still today the department operates on a tax base from both the Town of Garner and Wake County. Through good planning and hard work, facilities and equipment have been adequate to serve the Garner Fire District needs. The extraordinary growth of Garner and the surrounding area has created an increased demand for fire protection service. These responsibilities are directly on the broad shoulders of the Board of Directors.

Fifty (50) volunteers out of one station until 1976 served the entire District. In that year, Garner Station Two was formed with twenty-five (25) members of the Panther Branch Community. In 1981, an additional five members were added to complete a total roster of eighty (80). These volunteers give thousands of hours to their communities, not only fighting fire, but also training and providing fire prevention services.

In 1988, the Wake County tax revenues along with the contract with the Town of Garner allowed the hiring of the first paid chief as well as a bookkeeper/admin assistant. Four additional personnel, a captain, driver/engineer, and two firefighters, were added in 1989. In 1997, additional personnel were hired to allow two full day crews at station one and one full day crew at station two. Also in that year, station two began serving as first responders.

In 1999, station one began serving as first responders to its county residents only to follow in the town limits in January 2000. Due to extraordinary growth and demands for fire protection and medical service, station three was opened in the fall of 1999 with a four-person 24-hour crew. The fire department along with Wake County is looking for land east of Garner for the fourth station.

The Garner Volunteer Fire Department's success is due to the dedication and hard work of all its past and present members and personnel.

Time Line Courtesy of Michael J. Legeros

1950-1959

1952, organized. I ^sos Group of men meets at American Legion Building to incorporate: J.R. Collier, Ralph Whaley, William E. Jones, J. Noel Bryan, Marvin Daughtry, S.G. Carroll, Thomas Parrish, K.T. Pumphrey, M.M. Peacock, and Joe Williams. Mr. Bryan is elected first President and Fire Chief. ^fdr Incorporated as Garner Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. on August 15, 1952.
1952, first fire station is wooden, used-car garage owned by John Kelly. First fire alarm is siren located on top of American Legion Building. Fire calls go directly to home of Nannie Parrish who sounds alarm by pressing button which activates nearby siren^{rt04aug56, fdr}
1952, first fire truck purchased: 1941 Ford pick-up with front-mounted pump purchased from Durham Fire Department. Cost $1,000. Paid cash. Later sold to Harrells Volunteer Fire Department in Sampson County (in 1974?) ^fdr

1952, second fire truck is built by firefighters: 1948 Chevrolet tanker, 1000 gallons, constructed by firefighters working mostly at night, and fire department mechanic H. M. Jackson contributing generously of time and efforts ^ar72
1953, fire station constructed at 110 Pearl Street ^{rt04aug56, wcrer}

1954, larger fire truck delivered^rt04aug56

1956, first Fireman's Day held. Festivities include parade, live burn, and fish fry. At start of celebration, pots of hot grease full of hush puppies and fish catch fire. Flames leap from pots to roof of cooking shed. Firefighters douse flames using fire trucks after cooks using fire extinguishers fail. Crowd attending event is estimated at 7,000 people (September 3, 1956)^rt04sep56

1957 (?), apparatus delivery: 1957 Chevrolet 10-500 / American LaFrance pumper, 750 GPM, 600 gallons. Cost $11,343^ar61

1957, total of 50 fire calls answered during year ^ar61

1958 (?), apparatus delivery: 1958 Ford F-600 / American LaFrance pumper, 500 GPM, 300 gallons. Purchased by town but housed and operated by fire department. Cost $10,627.32 ^ar61

1958, Fire Chief is Jack Johnson ^wcfa

1958, new fire truck and Jeep reports Wake County Firemen's Association minutes dated May 13, 1958
1958 (?), apparatus delivery: 1957-58 Ford / American LaFrance pumper, lettered "Municipally Owned" ^oh
1958, first Fireman's Day held (Labor Day, 1958). ^rt
1958, total of 46 fire calls answered during year ^ar6¹

1959, total of 134 fire calls answered during year ^ar6¹

1960-1969

1960, Fire Chief is John Wiley Jones (May 7, 1960) ^{cfd, ar61}

1960, total of 103 fire calls answered during year ^ar6¹

1961, annual report reports:

total of 132 fire calls answered

total of 33 volunteer firefighters

average of $50 of each firefighter's own funds "in order to belong to the department"

average of 100 hours of each firefighter's time devoted to fire department, not including time spent "in actual firefighting"

total of 36 hours spent in drills by firefighters

monthly amount of $100 contributed by County

fire department telephone number is VAnce 9-3459

1961, apparatus consists of:

Engine 1 1957 Chevrolet 10-500 / American LaFrance pumper, 750 GPM, 600 gallons owned by GFD

Engine 2 1958 Ford F-600 / American LaFrance pumper, 500 GPM, 300 gallons owned by town

Engine 3 1942 International (/ Howe?) pumper (w/gas engine?), 500 GPM, 700 gallons owned by GFD

Tanker 1948 Chevrolet tanker, 1000 gallons owned by GFD

1962, apparatus deliveries:

1961 Chevrolet tanker, 1200 gallons, cost $7.000.00

1952 GMC panel truck emergency power unit, painted white with Civil Defense logo, equipped with 120 volt, 5000 watt AC generator, flood lights, smoke ejector, clean up tools, pails, brooms, shovels, and "extra oxygen cylinders for emergency smoke problems, heart attacks, etc., at doctor's call" ^ar6²

1962, total of 129 fire calls answered during year ^ar6²

1963, Fire Chief is B.R. Poole Jr. Assistant Fire Chief is C. Homer Creech (November 14, 1963) ^fdr

1969, total of 179 fire calls answered during year ^ar73

1970-1979

1970, new fire station at 503 W. Main Street dedicated. (July 1970)^fdr

1970, total of 244 fire calls answered during year ^ar73

1971, bank note burned on fire station (January 1971)^fdr

1971, total of 247 fire calls answered during year ^ar73

1972, total of 206 fire calls answered during year ^ar73

1973, House fire at 5717 Sharon St. kills woman and 5-year old son. Blaze breaks out about 9:45 a.m. Virgil King Bordeaux, 31, is found "lying over her son near a bedroom window" apparently trying "to shield him from the smoke," reports the October 6 edition of The News and Observer. Raleigh firefighter George Wrenn is painting a house nearby and tries in vain to find locate occupants after seeing smoke coming from a side window. Wrenn shouts to a neighbor to "call the fire department," finds a ladder, and enters a "middle bedroom" after breaking a window. Heavy smoke hides the bodies of the two victims, which is believed unoccupied at the time. '"If I'd only known there was a kid in the room,'" Wrenn later says "in a voice choked with emotion." Officials believe Mrs. Bordeaux tried to telephone for help and "after leaving the telephone receiver on the bed, she left the end bedroom and went to her son's bedroom. There she realized how bad the fire was." Fire damage is estimated at $5,000 and is limited to the kitchen and parts of the hallway. The fire is extinguished quickly by firefighters, who find the bodies in about five minutes. Smoke damage is heavy "throughout the back bedrooms and the connecting hallway" with "one of two end bed-rooms" "scarcely scorched by the smoke." Fire Chief B. R. Poole Jr. says "if Mrs. Bordeaux had pulled the door to the hallway shut, there would have been a good chance that neither she nor her son would have died" and "they probably would have had time to escape through the bedroom window." Two kittens and their mother are found "huddled in the basement of the house" after firefighters leave the scene, adds the October 10 edition of The Garner News. (October 5, 1973)

1973, Fire Chief is B. R. Poole Jr. Alex W. Umstead is Assistant Chief (December 31, 1973)^fdr
1973, fire department answers 210 calls (December 31, 1973) ^fdr
1974, Garner Town Hall catches fire (April 18, 1974) ^dah

1976, Station #2 opens at 9115 Sauls Road and is served by 25 members of Panther Branch community ^fdr
1970's, apparatus includes: ^oh

Engine 1 International Harvester / Howe pumper

Engine 2 1958 Ford F-600 / American LaFrance pumper, 500 GPM, 300 gallons

Unit 3 late 1960's brush truck

Unit 4 1961 Chevrolet tanker, 1200 gallons, later sold to Hopkins

Unit 5 International Harvester / Howe tanker

Unit 6 Dodge / Howe mini-pumper

Unit 7 1960's Chevrolet step van

Unit 8 1948 Chevrolet tanker, 1100 gallons

Engine 9 1942 International (/ Howe?) pumper (w/gas engine?), 500 GPM, 700 gallons

Engine 10 1957 Chevrolet 10-500 / American LaFrance pumper, 750 GPM, 600 gallons

1980-1989

1981, Garner Fireman's Day held (October 3, 1981) ^wcfar

1985, Garner Fireman's Day held (October 5, 1985) ^wcfar

1988, fire department begins accepting Wake County tax money ^fdr

1988, first paid Fire Chief hired ^fdr

1988, administrative assistant hired ^fdr

1989, balloon crashes after colliding with TV tower support cables. Balloon Works Firefly 8B takes off from soccer field with two passengers and remains at low altitude. The reported wind is initially from the northeast. At 500 feet, the reported wind is from the northwest. At 1000 and 2000 feet, the reported wind shifts back to the east. Balloon is seen crossing a highway at a southwest heading about one mile from a 2000 foot tall television tower. One witness reports burner is open just before impact with supporting cables. Balloon's envelope then collapses and streamers and balloon descends rapidly to the ground. Examination of envelope shows same had been torn by tower support cables. (June 11, 1989)^ntsb

1989, four additional personnel hired: Captain, Lieutenant, and two firefighters ^fdr

1990-1999

1993, firefighter dies after collapsing at fire scene. Patrick John Dougherty, 37, complains of weakness during clean-up at house fire on April 7, 1993. As EMS person begins examination, the firefighter collapses and later dies at Wake Medical Center from a massive heart attack. Funeral is held three days later at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Fire units from Garner (E1, E2), Bay Leaf (E258), Durham Highway (E2), Fairgrounds (E198), Fuquay Varina (E2, E5), Morrisville (E2) New Hope (E1), Six Forks (E121), Wake Forest (E63), and Yrac (E293) join procession to Montlawn Cemetery in Raleigh (April 10, 1993)

1999, Station #3 opens at 1695 Timber Drive with full 24-hour company ^fdr

2000 - present

2001, apparatus delivery: 2001 Pierce/Dash 100' platform ladder, 2000 GPM, 300 gallon tank (December 22, 2001)

2002, platform ladder placed in service (February 2002)

2006, New 2000 gallon tanker delivered and placed in service

2006, GFD recognized by Wake County EMS as a provider of EMS as EMT-B

2006, GFD is certified as a Medium Rescue by the State of North Carolina office of EMS.

2006, Hires 3 full time members and has the fire academy; which puts the department at 33 line personnel.

2007, Station 2 begans with a full 3 persons crew.

Sources

^ar61 Garner Annual Report, 1961

^ar62 Garner Annual Report, 1962

^cfd Cary Fire Department records

^dah NC Department of Archives and History

^fdrFire department records

^gn Garner News

^ntsb National Transportation Safety Board records

^oh Oral history

^rt Raleigh Times

^sosNC Department of the Secretary of State

^wcfa Wake County Firemen's Association records

^wcrer Wake County Real Estate Records

Courtesy of Michael J. Legeros