The Belk-Tyler fire was one that was not quickly forgotten. It was reported that the fire began in the light fixtures. The store had allegedly had issues with the florescent lights, but no repairs had been made. The fire began on an afternoon in 1974, and crews stayed on scene well into the next day. Like many structures downtown, one worry was neighboring buildings being affected by the flames and smoke.  With the fire starting in the ceiling/light fixtures, it was difficult for firefighters to get the fire under control. A lot of water was flowed that afternoon and into the next morning as hot spots were trying to reignite. As a result of all the water flow, merchandise from the store also flowed down the street and on the sidewalks. While there were minor injuries that occurred, no life was lost during that fire!

Chief Willard Herring became Fire Chief on January 9, 1969 and was the youngest Fire Chief Goldsboro had hired up to that point. During that first year, a new 1000 gallon pumper was put into service, replacing a 750 gallon pumper and bringing the total number of 1000 gallon pumpers in the department to 3. Chief Herring was able to oversee the development of a Training Grounds for GFD in 1970. In 1973, Goldsboro Fire Department was able to obtain a new modern type rescue unit. Personnel attended an ambulance school and were certified by the Emergency Medical Service of North Carolina as Ambulance Attendants. 1974 brought about a change to the department in the way of a three platoon system. This reduced the number of hours the men had to work from 72 to 56 hours per week. This is the current system used today. During this year, Chief Herring was approved to hire 6 additional personnel to help outfit the third platoon. In 1976, Chief Herring moved Headquarters from the Ash St location, to the new property on S. Center St. Chief Herring retired in 1997 with 28 years of service as Fire Chief, making him the longest serving Fire Chief in the history of Goldsboro Fire Department. Picture below is Chief Herring with his nephew, Scott Wells, and daughter, Sharon Herring checking out the 1919 La France 

As the city continued to grow, a new sub-station was placed under construction in 1965. The station was (and still is) located on Patetown Rd in the northern part of the city. By July 29, 1966, Station 3 was opened and operating with a 4-man crew.

In 1962/63, GFD acquires this American LaFrance apparatus with a 1000 GPM pump and a 500 gallon water tank.

Due to the fact that Goldsboro was growing rapidly, it was decided that a second fire station was needed. Station 2 was built and occupied by August 27, 1956. This station was located at the corner of Beech St and Madison Avenue in the eastern part of the city.

Chief Wesley Howell became Fire Chief in 1949 until 1968, making him the second longest serving Fire Chief of Goldsboro Fire Department. Additional personnel were hired during his time as Chief and the department was able to be organized on the basis of four pumper companies and one ladder company. A Training program was also established to instruct the personnel in the use of equipment, location of fire hydrant and fire alarm boxes, fire methods, fire hazards, fire prevention, and so much more. In 1967, the Goldsboro Fire Department with Chief Howell's guidance was able to obtain a level 4 insurance rating due to the increased personnel, fire apparatus, training, and fire prevention methods. Chief Howell was a community-minded Fire Chief, realizing that being a leader in the community involved more than just supervising the fire department. He encouraged the children of the community to do well in school. He offered incentives to the firefighter's children such as spending the night in the fire house if they received all A's on their report card. He also offered tutoring in math for those students that were making poor grades in that subject. Chief Howell retired in December of 1968 with 40 years of service to Goldsboro Fire Department. Chief Howell pictured here the 5th from the left, top row.

Disaster struck on the afternoon of February 9, 1948 when a fire started at Weil's Department Store on S Center St. According to the records, when the firefighters arrived on scene, the fire was too far gone to salvage any part of the store.

Chief A W Gurley served as Fire Chief from 1941-1949. During his time as Chief, he knew that more and better equipment was needed. However, due to the war, it was almost impossible to obtain major equipment.  Once World War 2 ended, Chief Gurley renewed the efforts to improve the department's equipment. In 1947, a new Pumper Apparatus was purchased from the American LaFrance Company in Elmira, New York. Also in 1947, Chief Gurley was able to hire an additional 6 firefighters which allowed the department to go to a two platoon (shift) system. Unfortunately, Chief Gurley passed away suddenly on his way home from work in 1949. A.W. Gurley pictured on the far right.

In 1939, under the leadership of Fire Chief Cohn, a new station was built on Ash St. The department had expanded to the point that it was overcrowded in its quarters in the 100 block of North John St. It was felt that a more modern building was needed in a less congested area. Early in 1939, the building on Ash St broke ground and construction started taking place. In May of that same year, the building was complete and able to be occupied by Goldsboro Fire Department. This location had the iconic fire poles that are associated with many historical fire departments. This structure is still in existence, but is used for other businesses in the city.