Saturday May 12th at 12:30 Cornelius and Huntersville St. 2 units were dispatched to the area of Largo Pl for a reported water rescue. While en route units were advised it was a jet ski incident where two jet ski’s had crashed and possibly had patients in the water. Due to conflicting reports of the actual location of the patients it took units several minutes to actually locate the incident. Cornelius Fire Boat 4 and Huntersville Marine 1 were on the way as well as the CMPD marine division. CMPD who was already on the water was able to locate the patient and quickly brought them to shore where crews were waiting to treat the injuries. It was decided that a helicopter from CMC was going to be needed and Cornelius E2 handled setting up the landing zone. The patient was off loaded from CMPD’s boat, transferred to MEDIC, and eventually onto the waiting helicopter. During the time of this incident 3 additional calls for service were handled in the district. It is the time of year when lake traffic begins to pick up and these accidents happen. The Cornelius Fire Department encourages everyone who will be operating a boat or watercraft this year to make sure you have the proper safety equipment and boater safety class.

Responding Units:

Cornelius: E2, R4, FB4, Ops 1, C-9 (J. Barbee)

Huntersville: E22, Marine 1

CMPD: Boat

MEDIC: 1 AlS unit, 1 supervisor

CMC: The Bird

Early Saturday morning Cornelius and Huntersville St. 2 were dispatched to a house fire on Norman Shores. En route units were advised of multiple calls reporting fire through the roof. C-16 (Shaner) arrived on scene and assumed command of the working fire and added Davidson FD for RIT. E-4 arrived on scene and stretched the 2″ crosslay to the house and began attacking the fire. E-3 (from st. 2) reversed out to a nearby hydrant and the crew pulled a second hand line and assisted E-4′s crew inside the house along with doing a quick primary search for any victims. H&L 44 positioned right in front of the house, and members then checked the basement for fire conditions, controlled utilities, and assisted fire attack with opening up walls and ceiling. Huntersville E-2 arrived on scene and laid a supply line to H&L 44 in preparation for ladder pipe operations. Due to the aggressiveness of the interior crews the fire was quickly put under control and the fire was held to the right side of the house. Cornelius Fire Boat 4 was on scene and the crew was able to utilize it to supply E-4 with water so that Norman Shores could be opened back up to normal traffic. Thanks to Huntersville and Davidson as always for the great help.

Responding Units:

Cornelius: E-4, E-3, H&L 44, Fire Boat 4

Huntersville: E-2, R-2

Davidson: E-1

MEDIC: 1 ALS unit

On April 6th at 21:01 Cornelius and Huntersville Fire Departments were dispatched to a possible structure fire on Mary Ardrey Cir. in Cornelius Station 2′s first due area. Cornelius Engine 2 arrived to find a large two story house with light smoke showing. Upon further investigation heavy smoke was found coming from the eves in division C. Cornelius 17 (Lang) assumed command and upgraded the assignment to a working fire. The crew from E2 stretched the apartment line (200′ 2.5″, gated wye, 200′ 1.75″) to the front door. Crews made entry and proceeded to the attic to begin fire attack. L4 arrived and assisted with finding the fire in the 8000 sq ft house. Crews encountered heavy smoke conditions on the second floor and multiple attic accesses. Cornelius 10 (G. Barbee) arrived and assumed command. E3 and Huntersville E2 arrived and stretched additional lines and vertical ventilation. Davidson FD was added to the call as the RIT team. R4 arrived and conducted a primary search. Heavy fire was found in an outdoor fireplace and chimney that had extended into the attic. Once all attics had been thoroughly checked a control time was transmitted. Crews stayed on scene for approximately three hours. “Photos by David Boraks/CorneliusNews.net – Reprinted with permission”

Responding Units:

Cornelius: E2, E3, E4, L4, R4

Huntersville: E2, R1

Davidson: E1

MEDIC: 1 ALS unit

Move Ups:

Huntesville E1 to Cornelius St. 1, Mt. Mourne FD to Davidson St. 1

Around 2200 on Tuesday night Cornelius and Huntersville station 2 were dispatched to a house fire with reported fire through the roof. Cornelius E-2 arrived on scene with a large 2 story home with heavy smoke showing as well as fire through the roof. Cornelius 19 (Sam Huskins) assumed command and ordered E-2′s crew to advance the 400′ apartment line into the house. E-4 and L-4 arrived soon after E-2 and assisted with securing a water supply and opening up the attic for suppression. Davidson E-1 and Huntersville E-1 were added as working fire companies due to the size of the home.  As crews arrived primary and secondary searches were conducted, a ventilation hole was cut, and the bulk of the fire was knocked down. The fire was contained to the attic of the house due to the aggressive tactics of the companies operating on scene. This house fire was the end to a busy day which included a water craft incident on Lake Norman, a lightning strike to a house, and several EMS calls. Thanks to Huntersville and Davidson FD with the help. Photo credits to Christina Ritchie Rogers / CorneliusNews.net – Reprinted with permission.

Responding Units:

Cornelius: E-2, E-3, E-4, L-4, R-4

Huntersville: E-22, E-1, R-1

Davidson: E-1

MEDIC: 1 ALS Unit

On February 12th at 06:09 Cornelius and Davidson fire departments were alerted for a structure fire on Brinkley Street.  Units arrived on scene to heavy smoke and fire showing from the front of a single story residential structure. Huntersville Fire Department, station one, was added for the working fire. Cornelius Engine 3′s crew stretched a line to the front door and began attacking the fire.  Davidson Engine 1 arrived and laid a line to Engine 3 for water supply.  Cornelius Ladder 4 arrived and conducted a primary search confirming all occupants were out of the house.  Huntersville crews arrived on scene and controlled the utilities and formed the rapid intervention team.  Crews worked aggressively and were able to get the fire under control quickly.  During the time of this fire several other emergencies were handled thanks to Davidson and Huntersville’s assistance.

Responding Units:

Cornelius: E-3, E-2, L-4, R-4

Davidson: E-1, L-1

Huntersville: E-1

MEDIC: 1 ALS unit

On December 8th around 10:00 AM Cornelius, Huntersville, and North Meck fire and rescue departments were dispatched to an Motor Vehicle Accident on Interstate 77, south bound, with entrapment.  Cornelius Rescue 4 and Engine 4 arrived on scene within minutes and confirmed that the driver of the car was, in fact, trapped.  Rescue 4 and Engine 4 went right to work using the hydraulic rescue tools from Cornelius’ Rescue to free the driver.  Huntersville Engine 11 arrived on scene and helped remove the driver once the doors were forced open and the roof was flapped.  The driver was quickly accessed and stabilized so that MEDIC could treat and transport the patient. The extrication time was quick and MEDIC was immediately able to transport the patient to the hospital.  Very special thanks to Huntersville Fire Department for the help and support on this multi-agency incident.

On Scene Units:

Cornelius: R4, E4, C-9 (Chief Barbee)

Huntersville: E11

MEDIC: 1 ALS Unit, 1 Supervisor

On October 28^th at 0107 Cornelius and Huntersville Fire Departments were dispatched to a possible structure fire on Norman Shores Drive.  As E4 came down the street it was obvious that this would be a working fire in a large home. Davidson Fire was added as the working fire company for a RIT team. C-12 (J. Robinette) assumed command and E4 began fire attack. H&L 44 arrived shortly after E4 and assisted stretching additional lines inside the house. Huntersville E2 located a hydrant and with some creative driving was able to forward lay into E4. The crew from Huntersville conducted a primary search of the entire house to ensure that no one was still inside the home. Additional crews from Cornelius and Huntersville arrived and assisted with the fire suppression. Due to the large size of the house crews remained on scene for an extended period of time for overhaul. The home was under construction and was nearly complete. With the coordinated and aggressive tactics from Cornelius, Huntersville, and Davidson the main body of fire was contained to the garage area. WSOC news coverage including Fire Boat 4 details

Responding Units:

Cornelius: E4, E6, E3, H&L 44, Fire Boat 4

Huntersville: E2, R2

Davidson: E1

MEDIC: 1 ALS unit

The Cornelius FD is collecting donations that will be distributed to firefighters and the communities in Dare County. The area has suffered substantial damage from Hurricane Irene causing many people to lose the basic necessities as well as employment. Please see the letter below which outlines what things are needed. Thanks so much!

Cornelius Fire Department will be accepting donations to assist firefighters and the surrounding communities in Dare County, North Carolina.  The fire department will be accepting these donations at Cornelius Fire Station 1 (19729 S. Main Street) and Cornelius Fire Station 2 (19230 Charlestown Lane) until November 2nd.  The items in need are listed below;

- Basic necessities (toilet paper, tooth brushes, shampoo, etc.)
- Toys for toddlers
- Nonperishable food (canned soups, canned baby food, etc.)
- Tyvek suits, boots, gloves, dust masks, and duct tape to protect  from mold.
- Basic hand tools
- Box fans to assist in mold/mildew drying
- Bug Spray
- Tarps and rolls of construction plastic
- Large trash bags for material removal
- Plastic (Rubbermaid type) totes
- Anything else that can help with disaster clean-up/construction

As many of you know, Hurricane Irene devastated the North Carolina coast causing countless citizens to lose their jobs as well as homes.  These donations will be going to Glenn Rainey whom is the Deputy Chief of Colington Fire Department and the President of the Dare County Association of Fire Officers for distribution to local firefighters as well as the local community.  As for cash donations, we are using the Dare County Association of Fire Officers as our collection point.  The mailing address is PO Box 535, Nags Head, NC 27959.

For any questions, please contact Cornelius Fire Station 1 at 704-892-1544 or Tom Cichocki at 704-956-1502

On September 15th around 2230 Cornelius and Huntersville along with North Meck Rescue Squad were dispatched to I-77 southbound for a traffic accident just past exit 25. While enroute units were advised that the driver of the car was pinned in his vehicle. North Meck R-7 arrived on scene with a SUV under a tractor trailer with the driver heavily entrapped. R-4 arrived and began utilizing the hydraulic rescue tools to free the driver. As other units arrived on scene a protection hand line was stretched to the accident area. The scene became an all hands working event in an effort to free the driver. Due to the extended extrication time and the severity of the accident a helicopter was called to the scene to transport the patient to the hospital. Huntersville E-33 established a landing zone for the helicopter on the interstate. The patient was loaded onto the helicopter and sent to the hospital. All of the agencies involved worked extremely well together which led to a successful outcome of the incident.

WBTV Story

Responding Units:

Cornelius: R-4, E-3, E-4, B-6, C-9 (Jim Barbee)

Huntersville: L-1, E-1, E-33

North Meck: R-7

MEDIC: 1 ALS truck, 1 Supervisor

Med Cernter Air: The Bird

On Sunday September 11th firefighters Justin Ranson, EJ McCormick, and Bill Schick along with hundreds of other firefighters participated in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at the Duke Energy building in downtown Charlotte. This event is held as a fundraiser for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Participants climb 110 stories just as the first responders did inside the world trade center.343 firefighters made the climb signifying the 343 FDNY firefighters that died on 9/11/2001. Each firefighter making the climb carries a photo of a FDNY member that died with them as they climb. FF Ranson made the climb with several members from Davidson FD,FF McCormick made the climb with Charlotte E-14, and FF Schick made the climb with Charlotte L-1. It’s events like this that truly represent the brotherhood within the fire service and that the members that die in the line of duty will never be forgotten.