Carolina Beach is a tranquil coastal community in North Carolina. It sits on the northern end of Pleasure Island, which it shares with Kure Beach. The Cape Fear River sits to its west and the Atlantic Ocean sits to the east of the island. It is a town in New Hanover County and it is considered to be a part of the Wilmington Metro area. It’s a beautiful beach community with plenty of large homes and hotels sitting on the beachfront. The beach is known for sea-shelling, surfing and camping near the waterfront. The Carolina Beach State Park is also located there and is known for its fishing spots and the Flytrap Trail, named for the carnivorous plants along its path. Unfortunately in 1954, the town was wiped off the map when Hurricane Hazel made landfall and destroyed 362 buildings. Luckily the community has since rebounded and is a vibrant vacation destination for thousands of people each year.
The Carolina Beach Fire Department is a combination fire department, consisting of career shift personnel, administrative staff and volunteer paid per call firefighters. The department is unique, not only does it provide fire suppression, fire prevention and medical responses, it also runs the ocean rescue program. From just before Memorial Day until Labor Day weekend the department provides lifeguards to the beaches along the ocean. In addition, due to the amount of people using the beaches and water activities that surround the island in the ocean and river, the department maintains a jet-ski and Marine Unit using a 25-foot Safe Boat. The boat is pulled by a Ford F350 dually, while the jet-ski is on a trailer pulled by a Ford F250 pickup truck. The department currently has three engines, one in reserve status, one tower ladder, a high-water vehicle (a former military vehicle with a 750-gallon tank to combat vehicle fires on the beach), one Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck and a Chevy Tahoe Chief’s vehicle. The department also has a full rescue truck on order and in the process of being manufactured. Unique signage adorns the Rosenbauer tower ladder’s bucket stating the “Tallest Ride On The Boardwalk”.
Engine Company 22 or better known as the Double Deuce is a 2016 Rosenbauer Commander apparatus. It has an aluminum extrusion designed cab which is painted white over red. There is three white reflective stripes running along the bottom of the cab, which then run vertical on the first compartment on the apparatus body and then continues horizontally across the entire length of the rig. Near the end of the stripe the word FIRE is displayed. The rear of the rig has the NFPA safety chevron stripping to assist in scene visibility. Plus, the extended front bumper also has the safety stripping pattern on both the front and sides. The rig is powered by a Cummins diesel engine, Allison automatic transmission and its pump is a Waterous 1250 gpm pump. The apparatus body has high side compartments with Rom roll-up doors which are painted red. The rear step compartment’s roll-up door isn’t painted and has the company logo adhered to it. The rig has a 500 gallon water tank and a Foam Pro system supplied by a 35 gallon tank. The rig carries a complement of TFT nozzles and has the TFT Blitz Fire on a rear attack line so it can be put into service immediately upon arrival if needed. With the wind conditions on the beach and the closeness of beach front homes, the department relies on this device to help stop a well-involved fire from turning into a conflagration. The apparatus cab and the rear of the body all have LED water tank level lights to inform firefighters of their water supply levels. The extended front bumper has a hose trough for a trash line, a chrome bell and it’s Federal Q2B siren is recess as well as the two air-horns.
The rig has a unique Milwaukee cordless tool compartment located just behind the pump panel on the officer’s side of the rig. Mounted on the upper section of the compartment on a panel are five cordless tools, featuring drills and impact drivers. Four battery chargers for the 18 volt batteries are also mounted on the panel. In addition to these tools, other cordless tools sit in the bins located on the floor of the compartment. At each end of this compartment, there are cordless spot lights for scene visibility, which can be used inside or outside. Over the wheel-well the compartment carries an assortment of hand tools mounted on a vertical swing arm panel. The outside carries a D-handle pike poke, a piercing nozzle and a squeegee. The inner side of the panel carries two flat shovels, a broom and a pry bar. In the rear compartment on this side of the rig, there are collapsible traffic cones, dry chemical extinguishers, a water container, water rescue floatation device and spare water bottles. There is also air bottle storage in the dead space compartment near the wheel wells. On the chauffeur’s side of the rig, the first compartment back from the pump panel is the appliance compartment where extra fittings, nozzles, adaptors and rolled-pony lengths of hose are stored. Over this side’s wheel well, a Stryker stair chair, Key hose standpipe packs and standpipe kit are stored. The rear compartment on this side carries the engine’s rotary and chain saw on the bottom shelf, while the rig’s RIT pack and K-Tool are located on the top shelf. There is a set of irons, sledgehammer and bolt cutter mounted on the rear wall of the compartment. On the front side wall are two Streamlight flashlights and on the back side wall is the Scott Pak-Tracker.
Engine 22 is the department’s first due engine and surely provides the firefighters with the necessary tools and equipment to extinguish a fire. The local residents and visitors to Carolina Beach are in good hands with this department protecting them.
MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 36-year veteran of the fire service and a lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York. Previously, he served with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He is the lead instructor for the FDIC International Truck Essentials H.O.T. program. He wrote the Ladders and Ventilation chapters for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II (Fire Engineering, 2009) and the Bread and Butter Portable Ladders DVD and is featured in “Training Minutes” truck company videos on www.FireEngineering.com.
