History of Hillsborough

Fire Service

Hillsborough, NC

Prior to 1937

The town of Hillsborough, NC has a very rich history dating back to 1754.  Equally as rich is the history of the fire department in Hillsborough.  Before any organized fire department, the citizens of the town banded together to fight fires.  Many of the buildings in the business district were wood frame structures throughout the 1800’s and early 1900’s and large fires were prevalent.  At the time, the fires were fought with bucket brigades and all the citizens got involved.  In the words of Sue Hayes, a long-time resident of Hillsborough, “Some people brought their own buckets, and any merchant who had buckets for sale contributed his entire stock.  The wonderful town pump was the only source of water and it worked continuously”.   At one point, there were fire buckets and ladders owned by the town to be used by the bucket brigades to fight fires.

The Town Pump circa 1914

Timeline

1790:  Fire of 1790.  Courthouse damaged by fire and Anglican Church was also damaged by the same fire.

1888:  Great Fire of 1888.  Fire started in Postmaster building and spread to several other buildings.

1903:  Depot Fire.  Southern Depot fire destroying depot and freight.

1920:  Farmers Union Fire.  Several buildings in business district destroyed.  Durham Fire Dept. provides mutual aid.

1921:  Forest Building Fire.  $30k in damages to several buildings in town.

1921:  Building Boom.  Hillsboro experiencing increase in construction partially due to recent fires.

1936-1949

Hillsborough did not have an organized department until 1937.  As the country struggled to recover from the Great Depression, President Roosevelt enacted his New Deal Program of 1933.  Part of the program was the Public Works Administration which built large-scale public works such as dams, bridges, water & sewer systems, etc.  The town of Hillsboro benefitted from the PWA projects with the construction of a water system to replace the old town pump.  With the constructions of a new water plant, water lines, and hydrants; money from the project was also used to fund a fire truck with the creation of the Hillsboro Fire Dept.  A 1937 Chevrolet American LeFrance was purchased from Eno Chevrolet of Hillsboro. With limited resources, the new fire truck was kept in the garage of Eno Chevrolet which served as the first fire station for the next 10 years.  It is said that the truck was kept in the garage at night and pulled out each day to allow the garage to conduct business.  An electric siren was also purchased and kept outside the garage to alert the town of a fire.  The siren was controlled by the phone operator at the telephone exchange on King St.  Edmund Rosemond was the head of the new Water Works Department which included the Fire Department at the time. 

Firefighters with truck outside Eno Chevrolet

In March of 1937, the Town Board of Commissioners appointed George Gilmore as the first fire chief of the Hillsboro Fire Dept.  The department consisted of a strong foundation of volunteers many of whom were the local merchants who would stop what they were doing and head to the fire station when the siren sounded.

Over the years, the town of Hillsboro endured through the recovery of the economy and then WWII.  In 1947, the Fire Dept. was notified by Eno Chevrolet that they needed the garage space for new equipment and would need to relocate.  George Gilmore owned an auto repair garage on King St. there was an open lot between his garage and the Western Auto.  This space was acquired and a shelter was built between the two buildings to house the fire truck and become the new fire station.

1947 also brought in a new phone system.  Dial phones were introduced and the electric siren control was moved to the new fire station since the station could be called direct at 2222.

Timeline

1936:  Water system turned on.  Water plant and water lines installed from PWA project.

1937:  New Fire Truck.  1937 Chevrolet American LeFrance runs first fire by the new truck run.

1937:  Fire Chief.  George Gilmore appointed as first Fire Chief according to Town Board of Commissioners Minutes.

1943:  Sanborn Map.  Insurance map indicates location of fire dept. and hydrants.

1944:  Hollywood Theater.  Mutual aid fire in Mebane that destroyed the Hollywood Theater.

1945:  Flooding.  Heavy storms take out nine bridges in the county.  HFD called to evacuate two families.

1947:  Second Fire Station.  Fire Department moves from Eno Chevrolet location to King St.

1947:  Restriction on Rural Calls.  Town Board enforces rules to limit rural calls to 1.5 miles beyond town limit.

1950-1959

The town of Hillsboro continued to grow as well as the call volume.  The fire department would occasionally respond to fires outside of the town limits and this became a growing concern that this would leave the town vulnerable if a fire outbreak occurred and the equipment paid for by the taxpayers was not available.  In 1951, the need for a rural fire truck became a reality with the creation of the Orange Fire Protective Association to serve the rural 10-12 mile areas outside the town limits.  Funding for the rural truck was raised through membership dues for the new association.   One-time membership fees were $10 for residential property and filling stations; $15 for farm buildings including outbuildings. The membership fee would cover the initial cost of the new truck and equipment.  There was a map displayed at the fire station which indicated the members that would be served by the fire equipment.   The Hillsboro firefighters volunteered their services and would fight fires in the county with the new rural truck which was housed in the same station with the town truck.

Timeline

1951:  Rural Fire Dept.  Proposal and development of new Orange Fire Protection District.

1951:  Rural Truck.  Fund raising membership drive to raise funds for new rural truck. 

1951:  Rural Truck Delivery.  New truck delivered but still need funds to buy equipment.

1952:  Service Fee.  Service fee put in place for response to non-members of the association.

1958:  High School Fire.  Central High School completely destroyed by fire.

1960-1969

In 1968, community leaders were brought together and developed an ambitious plan to put a formal rural fire department in place.  The 17-year-old rural truck was aging and a long-term solution for rural fire coverage was needed.  The plan was spearheaded by the Hillsborough Exchange Club led by Marshall Cates and Marion Clark.  Memberships were sold to raise money for a new truck and equipment.  The membership fee of $20 for residential and $30 for complexes was for the first four years and then an annual fee afterwards.  Most of the coverage area would be in the north, east, and west areas of the county.  The southern areas of the county would be handled by Eno, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro Fire Departments.  The Orange Rural Fire Department was soon incorporated and funds from the membership drive were successfully raised to purchase a new truck and equipment.

1968 Chevrolet C60 John Beam

Timeline

1960:  Eno Fire Department incorporated

1968:  Orange Rural Fire Dept.  Plans presented to develop new rural fire department. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

1968:  Orange Rural Fire Department incorporated.  Dedication ceremony held in July.

1968:  New Orange Rural FD truck purchased.  1968 Chevrolet C60 John Beam.

1970-1979

After 33 years of faithful service as Chief, George Gilmore passed the reigns over to Chandler Cates.  Orange County continues to grow and adequate fire coverage in the rural areas is a big focus.  The new Orange Rural Fire Dept. is providing fire coverage as far as 15 miles out which makes it very challenging to be able to stop a fire before consuming an entire building.   In 1971, the Orange Rural Fire Board of Directors started a project that would provide fire coverage for all of Orange County. The county was growing rapidly and the fledgling department was not able to keep up with the increasing call volume. This project lasted for several years.  Chief Cates played a big role in helping the new departments get started including training of firefighters.

As the department grew, space became more limited.  In 1976, the fire department moved to a new location formerly Ray Motor Company on Churton St.  The Town of Hillsborough bought the building and Orange Rural Fire bought the adjacent lot.

Timeline

1970:  Department members go through organized training course sponsored by Durham Technical Institute

1972:  Project to set up fire districts in the county is underway.  (1, 2, 3, 4)

1972:  Efland Volunteer Fire Department is incorporated

1973:  New Hope Volunteer Fire Department is incorporated

1974:  Explosion and fire damages jail (1, 2)

1976:  Department moves to new location

1977:  Cedar Grove Volunteer Fire Department is incorporated

1977:  Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department is incorporated

1978:  John Forrest elected Chief

1980-present

This era brought some of the worst tragedies in recent history.  A massive fire at Kenwood Apartments killed three people including two children.  A deadly tornado that tore through the northern part of town killed two.  The largest fire in Hillsborough history was in 1990 when a majority of the Hillsborough Business Center was destroyed.

With increasing call volume, it was becoming more difficult to have adequate response from volunteers especially during the day when everyone was working.  Paid firefighters were needed to fill the void.  A decision had to be made by the Town of Hillsborough about funding payroll since the same firefighters are responding in the rural areas with ORFD.  The NC League of Municipalities suggested that it was not in the town’s “best interest” to have a fire department that would respond to fires outside the service area (rural area).  ORFD and the Town of Hillsborough entered a contract in which the town maintained the current building and provide for one truck and ORFD provides fire coverage for the town.

Timeline

1986:    Flynt Ridge Apartments fire (1, 2)

1986:    Mark Gordon elected Chief

1988:    Kenwood Apartments fire (1, 2)

1990:    Hillsborough Business Center fire (1, 2)

1992:    Deadly tornado hits Hillsborough (1, 2)

1994:    Jimmy Summey elected Chief

1996:    Mac Cabe elected Chief

1996:    First paid firefighters put in place

1996:    Jeff Cabe elected Chief

1997:    ORFD contracts with the Town of Hillsborough to provide fire protection

2011:    Town of Hillsborough purchases Sutphen SP-95 Ladder Truck

2012:    ORFD opens Station 3 located at 2510 Walker Road.

2015:   

• Town of Hillsborough replaces 1996 KME with 2015 Sutphen Monarch
• ORFD replaces Engine 233 with matching 2015 Sutphen Monarch

2016:    Mill Fire at 202 S. Nash Street.

2016:    Crews deployed to Chimney Rock, NC for large woods fire.

2023:    ORFD is recognized by NCREMS to provide Structural Collapse, Trench and Water Rescue.

2023:    Engine 234 goes into service at Station 4 located at 352 College Park Rd.

Collection of Old Photos