Expect big things from county’s smallest fire department
Elsa Hasenzahl
Staff Writer
Commons Photos by Elsa Hasenzahl
Despite having only 28 full-time personnel responsible for the safety of thousands, the firefighters of the Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department still take the time to make personal connections with the community and educate citizens through tours and ride-alongs.
The department has been around since the late 1920s and takes its rank as the smallest fully careered fire department –meaning that all the firefighters are paid and there are no volunteer firefighters– in North Carolina, with one ladder truck and two fire pumper trucks.
The department is located beside Town Hall on Main Street. The buildings that Town Hall and the fire station currently occupy actually used to be school buildings until the 1960s.
The department does not only provide aid to Carrboro though. It is also responsible for the areas of southern Orange County.
It protects an eclectic mix of properties from smaller houses in urban areas with narrow streets to farms with large land acreages and huge residential properties.
According to the department’s annual reporting statistics, 875 calls were made to the fire department from July 2004 to June 2005, and 1,182 calls were made from July 2005 to June 2006. This increase of 35 percent shows a greater need for fire protection.
To better serve the town’s growing needs, a new fire department is planned to be completed around December 2008 in the northern annex of Carrboro.
And the Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department gives the citizens they protect something to be proud of. In 2008, the department will be the only in the county to provide all firefighters with EMT-level training for emergency medical services.
Each year, Carrboro firefighters are required to complete continuing education programs related to fire fighting, EMT and hazardous materials. They are also required to do child safety seat technician continuing education and N.C. rescue technician training.
And the department’s small size helps with these training efforts.
“It is so much easier to train [firefighters] and afford to buy things since less of everything is needed,” Deputy Chief William Mayo III said.
Mayo transferred to Carrboro from Raleigh in December 2006. He said that larger fire departments can make it hard to move as an organization, and the size of the Carrboro’s department alleviates a lot of those issues.
“We are so much more nimble and responsive to customer needs and new technology,” he said.
The department is led by Fire Chief Travis Crabtree.
“Chief Crabtree is really progressive, young, has a lot of energy and brought this station a far way in a short period of time,” Mayo said.
Recently, the department added five new recruits to its staff out of 60 applicants.
The department puts applicants through a rigorous hiring process, ensuring that only the best make it through. Those who make it past a preliminary screening take an agility test.
The agility test consists of typical firefighting scenarios, including ladder climbing and dragging dummies, as well as sit-ups and a half-mile run.
The remaining recruits are further narrowed down through a background screening of criminal and driving records, as well as an in-person interview. The five new recruits begin work March 19.
Carrboro and Chapel Hill firefighters also volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in their own free time by installing residential sprinkler systems in each house. According to Deputy Chief Mayo, there has never been a multi-death in homes with sprinkler systems installed.
Safety Services Offered
Some services the department provides include installing child passenger safety seats every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., or on a drop-by basis.
For those interested, the fire department is willing to put up reflective street numbers. The sign costs $15, and a sign with a post costs $20. The department sells this service at exact cost of materials, with no charge for labor. These are helpful because house addresses can be difficult to see at night, either because of poor lighting or something blocking the numbers.
Another item the department sells are “Range Queens,” which are small canisters capable of putting out small kitchen fires, one of the leading causes of fires. Also called “Stove Top Fire Stop.,” they cost $50 for oven ranges and $75 for microwaves.
For helpful facts about keeping your home safer, please refer to the Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department’s website at http://www.ci.carrboro.nc.us/fd/default.htm.
