Department Description[]
The City of Kannapolis Fire Department is a career department that protects over 46,595 people living in an area of over 32 square miles. The Department operates out 5 stations and consists of 116 personnel: 95 full-time, 6 part-time, and 15 reserve personnel. The fire department has an ISO Rating of 1.[1]
The City of Kannapolis (and its fire department) are unique in that they are located in two counties, Cabarrus County and Rowan County. The department operates with an automatic aid agreement with the City of Concord Fire Department and several smaller surrounding departments. In 2017, the department responded to nearly 9,000 calls for service[2].
History[]
The City of Kannapolis Fire Department was formed in 1987 (the City of Kannapolis was only incorporated as a city in 1984). However the origins of the City of Kannapolis Fire Department actually go back more than 100 years. This history was originally available on the City of Kannapolis website and has been reprinted in the Legeros Fire Blog.[3]
Origin[]
What is now the City of Kannapolis started as a mill town in 1906, when J. W. Cannon (founder of Cannon Mills) began to develop a village around the mill. In 1916, Cannon Mills organized the first volunteer fire department named the (Village of) Kannapolis Fire Department. With the onset of World War I, the fire department was disbanded and for several years no organized fire protection was available in the growing village.
In 1928 the Village of Kannapolis Fire Department was reorganized. Most members of the volunteer fire department came from the local merchants association and from the mill. The Kannapolis Fire Department became motorized in 1934 with the purchase of a used American LaFrance fire engine, capable of pumping 300 gallons-per-minute.
As the community continued to grow around the mill village, pressing water and sewer needs led to the creation of the Royal Oaks Sanitary District in the southeastern edge of the city in 1957 and the Kannapolis Sanitary District surrounding the village in 1963. These quasi-governmental sanitary districts provided not only water and sewer services, but also fire protection to the area surrounding the mill village.
The Royal Oaks Sanitary District Fire Department (ROSDFD) operated one engine company from a station on Florida Avenue. They added a second engine in late 1986. By 1987, the department had about 20 members. The Royal Oaks SDFD primary response district was very small, less than one square mile, although they also responded with the other departments as automatic mutual aid.
The Kannapolis Sanitary District Fire Department operated from two stations; Station 1 on Floyd Street housed Engine 1 and Engine 2, and Station 2 on Richard Avenue housed Engine 3.
Formation of the City of Kannapolis[]
Changes in the ownership of Cannon Mills in 1983 served as a catalyst for the incorporation of the City of Kannapolis. On December 4, 1984, the largest unincorporated community in North Carolina officially became a municipality. The new City Council created a Fire Department Coordinating Committee who was responsible for coordinating the efforts and budget requests of the six volunteer fire departments operating within the established city limits. Three of the departments, the Kannapolis Sanitary District, the Royal Oaks Sanitary District, and the village of Kannapolis, had their entire response areas within the city. The volunteer Winecoff, Mt. Mitchell, and Enochville fire departments had small portions of their districts inside the city as well.
Two-and-a-half years later, the voters within the two sanitary districts approved the merging of their districts with the City of Kannapolis government. The effective date of the merger was July 1, 1987. At that time, the City of Kannapolis obtained ownership of the water and sewer systems as well as the fire departments and the City of Kannapolis Fire Department was officially formed by merging the two District fire departments.
The Growth of the City Fire Department[]
The City of Kannapolis Fire Department was initially a volunteer department, except for a paid fire chief, 12 part-time employees, and used the apparatus and facilities from the two sanitary district departments. Also, with the formation of the City of Kannapolis Fire Department, the Village fire department (which was owned and operated by the mill) ceased operations outside the plant in October 1987. The department was renamed Fieldcrest-Cannon Fire Brigade.
In 1999, as the City continued to grow, the Winecoff Volunteer Fire Department merged with the City of Kannapolis Fire Department. Once again, the Winecoff VFD turned over their equipment and facilities to the City of Kannapolis Fire Department. Winecoff's station became Kannapolis Station 4.
In 2008, the City opened Fire Station 5 to cover the expansion on the west side of the city.
In 2018, the City began construction of two new Kannapolis Fire Department stations, replacing Station 2 and 3. The previous Fire Station #2 was built in 1963 and was originally designed as a volunteer fire station. The station was only 1,838 square feet, had no living quarters and only one bay. The old station was demolished, and the new station constructed in the same location. The original Fire Station #3 was built in 1967 and had 3,200 square feet with two bays. Also, originally a volunteer fire station, firefighters were using mobile structures for their living quarters due to the inadequate space. The new stations had the same design, 2 bays and each can accommodate 8 full-time personnel. Both stations opened in 2019[4].
Fire Stations[]
| Station | Address | In Service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 933 Floyd Street | 1968-1996 | Former Kannapolis Sanitary District FD Station. Now the Logistics Station Warehouse |
| 2 | 819 Richard Avenue | 1963-2018 | Former Kannapolis Sanitary District FD Station. Building razed and new station built on site. |
| 3 | 2209 Florida Avenue | 1967-2018 | Former Royal Oaks Sanitary District FD Station. Station closed and new station built nearby. |
| 4 | 328 Stewart Street | 1955- | Former Winecoff VFD Station. |
Apparatus Roster[]
All pump/tank measurements are in US gallons.
Station 1 (HQ) - 300 Firehouse Drive[]
Built 1996
- Rescue 10 - 1996 Seagrave TC00DF / Marion walk-around (Seagrave SN#74229 / Marion SN#54002) (2022 Seagrave Refurb) (Ex-Parkway Fire and Rescue)
- Engine 11 - 2015 Seagrave (1500/500/30A) (SN#78H52)
- Engine 12 (Reserve) - 1994 Seagrave TB50DF (1500/500/40F) (SN#78645) (Ex-Red Bank Fire Department (New Jersey))
- Ladder 14 - 2009 Seagrave (2000/300/40A/100' rear-mount) (SN#85159)
Station 2 - 819 Richard Avenue[]
Built 2018
- Engine 21 - 2013 Pierce Saber (1500/500/?F) (SN#26265)
- Tanker 28 - 2000 Spartan Gladiator / Toyne (1500/2000) (SN#TID-8533) (Ex-Engine 51)
Station 3 - 1703 Concord Lake Road[]
Built 2018
- Engine 31 - 2018 Seagrave Marauder II
- Ladder 34 - 2017 Seagrave Apollo (2000/300/100' platform) (SN#89R08) (Ex-Ladder 54)
Station 4 - 328 Stewart Street[]
Built 1955
- Engine 41 - 2008 Seagrave (1500/750) (SN#78F38)
- Engine 42 (Reserve) - 1995 Spartan Gladiator / Quality (1500/500/30A) (SN#M-1017)
Station 5 - 2046 Barr Road[]
Opened 2008
- Brush 15 - 1999 Ford F-350 4x4 / Reading Type 6 (250/250)
- Engine 51 - 2002 Spartan Gladiator / Quality (1500/500/50A) (SN#M-1548) (Ex-Engine 31)
- Ladder 54 (Reserve) - 1999 Spartan Gladiator / Quality (2000/400/85' LTI rear-mount platform) (SN#M-1328)
Logistics Station Warehouse - 933 Floyd Street[]
- Command 1 - 1989 GMC Value Van P30 step van (Ex-Truck 16)
- Traffic Management Unit - 1995 HME 1871-SFO / Smeal pumper (1250/1000) (SN#694210) (Ex-Engine 22, ex-Engine 32, ex-Winecoff Engine 1)
Station/Assignment Unknown[]
- Chief 1 - 200? Ford Crown Victoria
- Battalion 1 - 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 4x4
- Inspector 1 - 200? Ford Crown Victoria
- Hazmat 1 - 1999 International 4900 / Hackney / 2002 Hackney refurb walk-around (SN#99M00897; Refurb SN#2M80224)
- Chief 3 - 201? Ford Explorer AWD
- Chief 5 - 201? Ford Explorer AWD
- Medic 10 - 2007 Ford Expedition 4x4 (Ex-Battalion 1)
- Hazmat 10 - 2009 Chevrolet Express 4500 / McCoy Miller Type III walk-in (Ex-Cabarrus County, NC EMS)
- Division Chief - 201? Ford Police Interceptor Utility AWD
- Parade - 1940 Mack Model 80 pumper (750/500) (SN#80-LS-1104)
- 2016 Ford F-150 4x4 w/ Leer canopy (Ex-Battalion 1)
- 20?? Ford Expedition 4x4
Retired Apparatus[]
- 1995 Spartan Gladiator / Quality pumper (1500/500) (SN#M-1018) (Ex-Engine 12)
- 1989 Pierce Arrow pumper (1250/750) (SN#E4845) (Ex-Engine 32)
- 1988 Pierce Arrow pumper (1250/500) (SN#E4078) (Ex-Engine 12, ex-Winecoff Engine 2)
- 1987 Pierce Arrow pumper (1250/500/30A) (SN#E3354) (Ex-Engine 12)
- 1986 GMC 7000 / 1987 FMC pumper/tanker (1000/1000) (SN#6136) (Ex-Winecoff Tanker 1)
- 1985 Ford F-350 / Modular walk-in rescue (Ex-Winecoff)
- 1975 HME FTCO-2070 / Pierce pumper (1250/750) (SN#8557C) (Ex-Moores Chapel Fire Department, West Meck, NC; returned to West Meck, NC)
- 193? American LaFrance pumper (300/-)
References[]
- ↑ City of Kannapolis Website
- ↑ Kannapolis Fire Department Annual Report 2016-2017
- ↑ The History of the City of Kannapolis Fire Department. Legeros Fire Blog Archive
- ↑ Cabarrus This Week, 7/28/2019
External Links[]
Kannapolis Fire Department Facebook