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 

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, offering them incentives 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.

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.

Chief Max Cohn became Fire Chief in 1930. He recognized the overgrowth of the department, and knew that a new facility needed to be built. In 1939, Chief Cohn was able to fulfill that need, and a new station was built on Ash St. He retired just two years after the new station was built, but later returned to the department to serve as Assistant Fire Chief after the passing of his wife. At least two new apparatus were purchased during his time as Chief.

Goldsboro Fire Department was established in May of 1881. Before that time, the Eclipse Fire Engine Company was serving the community.

The Mary Alice

This steam engine pumper, pulled by two horses, was purchased in 1880 by Charles Dewey, the Chief of Eclipse Fire Engine Company during that time. It was named in memory of his daughter. This engine cost the department just under $4,ooo to purchase, which at that time was a hefty expenditure as most chemical engines were under $1000.  The Mary Alice was kept in service with the Goldsboro Fire Department during the transition to the new department. The apparatus was rumored to have set a world record for the speed in getting the steam to the correct temperature the fastest and then spraying water the farthest. It served the department as a front line apparatus until 1919, and then was used as a reserve engine until 1940. It was then retired and put on display at Herman Park. During World War II, there was a great need for scrap metal. The Mary Alice was escorted down the streets of Goldsboro one last time on her way to be used for the needed metal for the war.

Personnel

Very few of the personnel were paid members, most served in a volunteer capacity. The picture below is of the firefighters at the beginning of century with The Mary Alice. It is one of the oldest known photographs of the Goldsboro Fire Department. The man sitting in the front of the Mary Alice was Lon Pearsall, who at that time was the only known paid firefighter. Him and his family actually lived in the fire station and was responsible for making sure everything was ready to go when the need arose. The man in the back by the window was on duty that day, monitoring the Gamewell Telegraph system and would notify the firefighters if any emergency happened.

Uniforms

Uniforms were not regulated in the early days of Goldsboro Fire Department. Most of the volunteers could not afford to purchase extra clothing beyond their daily needs. The Department did not have the funds available to issue uniforms beyond the protective gear. The fire personnel were just asked to dress the best they could with what they already had available. Dress uniforms started to become more standardized around the 1940’s when the department was able to issue the uniforms to the personnel.