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The History of the Durham Fire Department
Durham Fireman circa 1872 (the first known photo of the DFD)
1872-1900 In June of 1876, the citizens of Durham for the purpose of organizing a better Fire Department held a meeting. The result, 33 names of volunteers, all had to be at least 18 years old. By 1880, the Department consisted of Durham Hook and Ladder Co. 1 and Bucket Co. 1. In 1882, Durham was faced with heavy fire losses. The fire companies were unorganized and operating without leadership. Captain R.D. Blackwell and the newly formed Durham Chemical Fire Company would change that. The new chemical wagon was purchased and stored at the W.T. Blackwell Tobacco Company. During the re-organization of the Department R.D. Blackwell was named Fire Chief. Authority was In 1890 Station # 1 was erected at the corner of Mangnum St. and Holloway St. It was a two-story red brick structure.
The building was topped with a bell tower. The 829-lb. bell is currently hanging in front of Station One on Morgan St.
In 1892 Durham continued to have heavy fire loses. Talk was beginning to surface in favor of a paid Department. Around this time a wooden building was built on W. Main St. to house Hose Co. # 2. Morale problems were plaguing the Fire Department. A request for additional funding from the City was denied, and public criticism rendered additional talk of a paid department. This continued for the rest of the century.
1900-1908
In 1907 the Department consisted of, one Fire Chief, 60 volunteer firemen, 3 drivers at full pay, one Assistant Chief at part pay, 7 horses, 2 steamers, 2 hose wagons, 1 hook and ladder, and 6000 ft of 2.5 inch hose. Also in 1902 American Tobacco Company donated $ 4500 towards a new Station 2.
In the end the station cost $7000 and was one of the finest in the country. The station included a hose tower and a state of the art floor design. In 1908 accounts from the Durham Morning Herald showed that although citizens looked up to the volunteers, merchants wanted paid fireman. The time was soon at hand for a paid department. On January 17, 1909 Durham City Hall was gutted by fire. The loss was complete. The $50,000 building was totally destroyed. The City Alderman launched a serious investigation into the workings of the Fire Department. The results of this investigation, the City Alderman stated that “effective service cannot be given by volunteers, compared with other North Carolina cities all points to one thing, Durham will have a paid Fire Department”. On February 15, 1909 Dennis C. Christian was named the new Chief of the Department and the paid department was instituted on March 1, 1909. In 1911 Station # 3 opened at 600 E. Main St. This two story brick station housed a steamer and a hose wagon. In 1915 Engine 3 received a motor driven truck. This Engine was to be known as the “Red Devil”.
Durham’s worst fire in history was recorded March 23, 1914. The fire destroyed a large portion of the downtown business district. This million-dollar fire destroyed many buildings. The water system failed the Department on this fire. Durham looked for plans for a new water system. The Eno River had been the city's water source, future water would come from the Flat River. Then in 1925 Lake Michie in north Durham County was formed. To this day Lake Michie supplies most of Durham’s water.
In 1912 the first motor driven apparatus was purchased. It was a 750 GPM American LaFrance. This unit served Durham until 1942. In 1924 Station 1 was torn down to make room for its new house. This station served the department until 1964 when it was closed. The building still stands and is currently an office building.
From 1909 until 1924 the fire alarm system was operated by a two-circuit battery system. In 1909 In 1926, Station # 4 was built at McMannan St and Cobb St. at the cost of $14,350. This area is now where the Durham Freeway runs.
In May 1926 the Department built and started using its first training tower. The tower is located on Washington St. near the old Durham Bulls ballpark (DAP). This 61-ft brick tower for its time was the most modern in the state. The NC Fire Association held its meetings in Durham for several years and held training at the tower. The tower included a standpipe system, smoke room, safety net, and platforms. This tower was used until the early 1970’s when the Department decided the tower was not safe enough for renovation.
1930-1949 In the 1930’s Fire Departments began to share ideas at State Fire Conventions. During this time Durham was one of the leaders in the fire service, other cities from across the state would come to Durham to collect ideas for their own departments. Perhaps one of the best programs Durham started was in 1940. This was the introduction of a specialized fire unit. This unit would be smaller than the Engine and Ladder Companies. This truck was called an Auxiliary (Rescue) Truck. It was equipped with an electric siren, ladders, fire extinguishers, axes, hooks and other tools. It also had a 500-watt light to illuminate the scene at night. There were two firefighters assigned to this unit. The first day the unit was in service, a fire on Elizabeth St. broke out in an occupied residence. Five people were rescued due to the quick actions of the Auxiliary (Rescue) Truck members. The Rescue Truck also know as, Rescue Co. 11 and Rescue Co. 1 served Durham until May of 2000 when the unit was disbanded.
Since the onset of paid firefighters, there have been several different work schedules. The first paid firefighters had to work one entire month before getting one day off. Men were allowed to go home in shifts to eat their meals with their families. Changes continued, and work shifts were reduced to having every forth day off. 1938 established the two-platoon schedule of work 12 hours off, 12 hours on. In 1947, the city council approved the 72-hour week schedule. Later on, the council voted the 56-hour shift that is currently used.
In October of 1958 the old Station 4 was closed. The new one opened at Fayetteville and Pekoe St. for the cost of 80,000. This new Station Four featured an all African-American crew. The men that were hired were the first Black firefighters to serve the Durham Fire Department since the Excelsior Hook and Ladder Company back during the volunteer era.
In February of 1960 Station #5 opened in the Lakewood area of the city. The cost of Station 5 was $90,000.
In 1964 Station 1 moved to Morgan St. the cost was $296,000. Station 1 was one of the most modern fire stations in the country.
During this time all of the city stations had decent equipment and morale was high. Off duty personnel would often hang around the stations on their days off. If a run came in they could jump on the rig and go to the call. Fires were hot and many during the 1960’s. Some of the more notable fires were Dowd St. School, Yellow Cab Co., Ingold Tire Co., Capital Furniture, Downtown Motor Inn, and Edgemont School.
In 1969 the North Carolina EMS system was started. Until now the only first aid Durham fireman had was the American Red Cross classes. The first EMT class in this area was given in Durham. A few firefighters took the class. The Fire Department created a Rescue Specialist position on Rescue 11. All EMS calls were answered by Rescue 11. It was not uncommon for the Rescue to run 20 to 30 calls a day. In 1970 the Fire Department was in for a big change. On Nov 6, 1970, after opposition from both fireman and policeman the Durham City Council voted 11-to 1 in favor of starting a Public Safety program. They recommended that a person be crossed trained in both Fire and Police. Station 5 would be the first station to become public safety. By 1973 Stations No. 4, No. 6, No.7 were placed under PSO. Station 8, Station 9 and Station 10 were built by Public Safety. By 1980 Station 2 and Station 3 were PSO with the exception of an Engine Co. at #2 and a Ladder Co. at #3. Station 1 would be the only all firefighter station left in the city.
During this time fires still burned in the city. The only difference was that fire trucks responded with just a driver. Police cars pulled up to the scene and the PSO officer went to the trunk of the squad car for their fire gear. Over time the Public Safety program became the subject of many heated arguments. On August 2, 1985 in a heated meeting in the City Council chambers the Council voted to end the Public Safety program. It was found that by splitting Public Safety the city would save 18 million dollars. PSO officers were given a choice of going to the Fire Department or Police Department. Nathaniel Thompson was named Fire Chief.
Chief Thompson became the first African-American Chief of the Department. He was also in the group of first African-American firefighters who were hired in 1958. A re-birth of the Fire Department was beginning. 1986-2005 Station’s 12 and 11 opened in 1989 and 1990. These stations housed an Engine Co. and a Ladder Co. each. In 1998 Station 3 on Driver St. closed and Engine 3 moved to 822 N. Miami Blvd. Station 8 on Holloway St. also closed and Engine 8 moved into Station 3. Engine 8 ran out of Station 3 until its new station opened in 2005 in the Grove Park area of the city. Also in 1998 Station 13 opened at 2901 S. Miami Blvd. Station 13 is the home of the Hazmat Team. In 1999 Station 4 closed on Fayetteville St. and Engine Co. 4 moved into their new station on Riddle Rd. In 2000 Station 14 opened in north Durham on Umstead Rd. Station 14 is home to the Water Rescue Team. On of the biggest changes in the Fire Department came in Oct 1993 with the implementation of the First Responder program. After several years of debating, the Fire Department decided to start answering medical calls. All members were trained to the first responder level and the Department started to respond to life threatening medical calls. This program has proven to be very beneficial to the citizens of Durham. Many lives have been saved as a direct result of the Fire Department. arriving on the scene quickly and starting life support measures. At present all of the members of the Department are at minimal EMT-D level and all units have defibrillators on them. Many members are now also EMT-I level trained. The Department provides EMT-I service to the inner city neighborhoods from one of the three Squad units. The Squads are housed at Station’s one, two and four.
The City as well as the County started using the 800 MHz radio system in 1995. This radio system has been very beneficial to the Department. This system has put City and County agencies on the same frequency. Because of these systems, 911 communicators do not have to relay messages between agencies anymore. Another big advancement in the Department was the start of the Tactical Rescue Team in 1996. The team was formed and put into service at Engine Co. 5. A rebuilt truck was stocked with some of the newest specialized rescue tools available. Rescue 1 which had been part of the Haz-Mat Team was now made part of the TRT team. In May of 2000 Rescue 1 was disbanded after 40 years of service. The TRT team is currently housed at Station 7 on N. Duke St.
Currently the Fire Dept employs around 300 people. Within the in ranks of the DFD there exist two great organizations. The IAFF local # 668 and the Bull City Firefighters. Both groups work hard to help the community in which they serve. Since 1872 the Durham Fire Department has had a great history and will continue to make a great future due to the professionals who are dedicated to protect the lives and property of the citizens of Durham.
Chief Frank Bennett 1921-1946 Chief Cosmo Cox 1946-1972 Chief Joe Letzing 1972-1983 Chief Nathaniel Thompson 1985-1997 Chief Otis Cooper 1998-2005 Chief Bruce Pagan Current
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given to firefighters to recruit citizens to assist in firefighting. Failure to act carried a $10 fine. The new department consisted of Dick Blackwell Hose Co. 1, Independent Hose Co. No. 2 which was located in the W. Duke and Sons Tobacco Company and the Excelsior Hook and Ladder Co 1. The Excelsior Hook and Ladder Co 1 was an all African –American manned fire company that responded from 201 Pine St. now S. Roxboro St.
the number of pull boxes totaled 30. In 1924 the fire alarm system was changed to a 12-circuit system. Forty-five miles of wire were put up to update the system. Approximately 175 fire alarm boxes were in service. These boxes stayed in service until the 1970’s when they were replaced with emergency phones on poles. 
In 1953 Durham maintained a class 3 ISO rating. The Department consisted of, 4 stations with 19 Captains, 20 Drivers and 61 Firefighters. In April of 1953 the old Station 3 was closed and the new three opened at 101 S. Driver St. 
