Camel City Fire Photos

08/17/2026

This past weekend marked the annual South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo in Raleigh, NC. After the show, I had the opportunity to photograph many of the apparatus as they departed, though not all. It was great to see other fire buffs capturing photos and videos of the trucks as well. People like Lee Wilson, Mike Legeros, Jeff Harkey, Jon Umbdenstock, the late Wayne Greer, and other pioneers paved the way for buffing in North Carolina and it's cool to see the next generation of enthusiasts interested in the same things. These are "grab" shots, and I hope to get properly posed photos of many of them once they enter service.

The rest of the trucks photographed can be found on the website: https://camelcityfirephotos.smugmug.com/Fire-Apparatus/Conventions-and-parades/SAFRE-2026

08/06/2026

Here is another fantastic station I've been eager to visit for quite some time. Located in the Sandhills of Moore County, NC, Crains Creek Fire Department is situated near one of North Carolina's largest military installations, Fort Bragg, and occasionally responds to calls off-base with them. The apparatus I was able to photograph includes:

Engine 233 – 2014 HME 1871/Ahrens-Fox 4x4 1250/1000
Ladder 23 – 1996 Seagrave 1500/0/100' (formerly North Bellmore, NY & Uniondale, NY)
Rescue 239 – 2013 IHC Terra Star/Maintainer Bodies
Tanker 236 – 1994 Freightliner FLD120/Fouts Brothers 500/3000
Brush 235 – 2012 Harsco 250/600
Brush 238-2023 Dodge 3500/Carolina Custom Products/CET 250/250/10F

You can view the full set of photos on the website: https://camelcityfirephotos.smugmug.com/Fire-Apparatus/North-Carolina/Moore-County/Crains-Creek-Fire-Department

08/01/2026

Today's spotlighted department is the only other Caswell County station I've been able to photograph so far.

Yanceyville Volunteer Fire Department in Yanceyville, NC operates from two stations and have 11 rigs. Unfortunately, due to limited time I was only able to get 3 apparatus. Hopefully next time I'm in the area I will be able to get the rest of the fleet.

Engine 16 is a 2000 E-One Cyclone II 1500/750/30F that originally served Apex, NC

Ladder 1 is a 1994 E-One Cyclone 1500/500/75', originally purchased by Danville, VA

Brush 10 is a 1979 Dodge M20/Local 200/200

07/31/2026

Last month, I visited an area of NC not often seen by many buffs. The Providence Fire & Rescue - Caswell County operates a very nice fleet of trucks. The volunteers at this station were outstanding and very helpful in moving the trucks around for photos. The current lineup of apparatus includes:

E41-1989 Ford F-800/FMC 1000/1000
T42-2008 IHC 7600/E-One 1250/1800
B43-2018 Ford F-550/General Fire 250/250
E44-2003 IHC 4400/E-One 1500/1250/25F
E45-2000 Spartan/RD Murray 1500/750/?F X: Bellmore, NY
R4-1997 Freightliner FL80/E-One X: Danville Lifesaving Crew, VA
Utility 40-1997 Ford F-350/Knapheide

Here is the link to the website: https://camelcityfirephotos.smugmug.com/Fire-Apparatus/North-Carolina/Caswell-County/Providence-Fire-Department

07/26/2026

After a busy week, I'm back to hopefully posting apparatus on a more regular basis. Today's spotlighted department is Madison, NC Fire Department

Madison is in Rockingham County, NC and operates some cool and unique rigs. The current fleet of apparatus:

Ladder 52-1997 Sutphen TS-95 1500/300/95' X: Readington, NJ
Engine 53-2025 Sutphen Monarch 1500/1000
Tanker 55-2010 Spartan Gladiator/MW Fire 1500/1500 X: Summerfield, NC
Brush 57-1985 Chevrolet C20/Local 200/300/5F
Squad 58-2009 Ford F-250/Altec X: NCDOT
Van 59-1987 Chevrolet Step Van X: Perrytown VFD, Colerain, NC X: NCFS

For former apparatus I've photographed at Madison, check out the website: https://camelcityfirephotos.smugmug.com/Fire-Apparatus/North-Carolina/Rockingham-County/Madison-Fire-Department

07/25/2026

07/25/2026

How about some clips from Pump Primers? Here is one of my favorites leaving the muster

07/19/2026

Last weekend, a friend and I went to the PA Pump Primers Muster in Harrisburg, PA. It’s one of the top events for fire truck fans and buffs, celebrating its 50th anniversary along the Susquehanna River. Unfortunately, this was the last year it would be held at Riverfront Park in downtown Harrisburg due to construction restricting access to the river for drafting. The photos here capture just a small sample of the 100+ trucks that showed up.

Please check out the website for the rest of the photos: https://camelcityfirephotos.smugmug.com/Fire-Apparatus/Conventions-and-parades/Pump-Primers-Muster-2026

07/14/2026

After an awesome weekend of buffing in Harrisburg, PA for the Pump Primers Muster, I’m back to post more recent apparatus shoots in my local area. I’ll be working on editing the Pump Primers shots soon, so keep an eye out for those. The P.G. Fire Department in McDowell County, NC has an impressive fleet of rigs, including a unique Canadian brand tanker that is making a small presence in the US. Here’s the apparatus I captured.

Engine 11: 2002 Pierce Dash 2250/1000/30AF/60BF X: Middletown FC, Media, PA
Engine 11-2: 2008 Pierce Contender 1500/1000
Engine 11-3: 2000 Freightliner FL80/KME 4x4 1500/1000 urban interface engine
Tanker 11: 2020 Freightliner M2/Hellie 1000/2000 (One of only three Helie tankers in NC)
Rescue 11-1997 Pierce Quantum 500/250 X: Richmond, VA X: Thanksgiving, NC