Navassa Volunteer Fire Department - Station19

10/15/2026

This event is open to everyone on Saturday, and we encourage folks to come by and meet members of the local fire service, our vendors, and various partner agencies outside the fire service that help us make the community safer! This event is free.

10/13/2026

Tonight’s training continued our work with foam operations. We tested a new high-expansion foam generator designed for our existing RAM fans. When we began purchasing RAM ventilation fans several years ago, we selected models compatible with our DeWalt batteries and capable of supporting future high-expansion foam operations.

We paired the generator with National Foam’s environmentally responsible HI-EX 2% concentrate. Using only two gallons of concentrate, the system exceeded our expectations. This capability allows us to completely flood confined spaces—such as a boat’s engine compartment—with foam during a fire.

We want to again thank Gerald Barrett with National Foam for getting us some Hi-Ex foam and Wally's Fire & Safety Equipment, Inc. for working with us on the Ram fans and high expansion foam attachment.

10/08/2026

Please keep the Durham community in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time!

We are heartbroken to share that Firefighter Andrew Brokes died in the line of duty this morning while searching for victims inside the building at 410 Marly Drive.

Firefighter Brokes, who joined the Durham Fire Department on May 5, 2025, served the Durham community with dedication, courage, and a deep commitment to the residents of the Bull City.

“This is a heartbreaking loss for our department, the family, and the entire community,” said Durham Fire Chief Robert J. Zoldos II. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones and his colleagues, and we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during this unimaginably difficult time. The department is standing with and supporting his family in every possible way.”

Two other firefighters were injured during the incident and were taken to Duke Medical Center. Both have received care and are expected to make full recoveries.

This loss is felt across our entire department. Firefighters step into unpredictable situations every day in service to others, and Firefighter Brokes embodied that calling with honor.

We know our community is grieving alongside us. If you wish to share your condolences or messages of support, they will be received with gratitude by our department and by those who knew and loved Firefighter Brokes.

In the coming days, we will share more information about how we will honor his service and support the firefighters involved in this incident.

Thank you, Durham, for surrounding our DFD family with care during this profoundly difficult time.

10/06/2026

Tonight’s training focused on more foam firefighting operations. Members used our new Williams Fire & Hazard Control Around-the-Pump Proportioner (WATP 1500) to temporarily convert Engine 1972 into a foam-capable engine. Our members also were able to practice foam application techniques with hand lines and with one of our low expansion attachments.

We thank Herman Ladner and Rachel Britnell of Williams Fire & Hazard Control for their assistance with this phase of our foam implementation project. Lessons from the training will be incorporated into our foam operations policy, which is currently under revision.

10/05/2026

09/30/2026

We are pleased to announce some recent updates and future resources for our foam firefighting response capabilities.

We recently received 550 of the 1,100 gallons of environmentally friendly National Foam Universal Green 3%-3% firefighting foam ordered. Our foam trailer now carries 550 gallons of Universal Green and 225 gallons of legacy US Foam First Strike 3%-6% ATC foam. The trailers new primary role will be as a Class B foam tanker, supplying additional foam to support our foam truck currently on order. The trailer can also provide an additional attack resource when paired with any fire truck. The trailer is now equipped with a 750 GPM self-educting Task Force Tips Master Foam Nozzle and a Williams Fire Hazard Control WATP-1500V around-the-pump proportioner. Using the WATP-1500V, the trailer can connect to any Class A fire apparatus with a pump and temporarily convert it into a foam truck.

When our new foam truck arrives, it will join the trailer and our two tankers in a regional foam task force being formed with several local partner departments. This week, National Foam’s Gerald Barrett traveled here to lead classroom instruction and practical evolutions on Tuesday and Wednesday at our main station and the Shallotte Regional Fire Training Facility. The training covered environmentally friendly foams and how they differ from legacy products.

We want to thank National Foam and Gerald Barrett, the Shallotte Regional Fire Training Facility, and Brunswick Community College for their support. We also want to thank retired Calabash Fire Department Deputy Chief Bobby Boening for serving as our live-fire instructor. We also want to recognize Commissioner Marty Cooke, Brunswick County Fire Administrator Mac Smith and Brian Benton, with CW Williams Fire Equipment for visiting with us during the training. The following agencies participated in the training:

• ADR Fire-Rescue (Regional Foam Task Force Partner Agency)
• Navassa Volunteer Fire Department (Regional Foam Task Force Partner Agency)
• Winnabow Volunteer Fire Department (Regional Foam Task Force Partner Agency)
• Shallotte Fire Department
• Sunset Harbor Zion Hill Fire Department
• Tri-Beach Fire

We also thank Cori and Company Photography for documenting Tuesday night’s training event.

Last week, we received official notification on the award of funding that will allow us to upgrade and purchase additional slip-on firefighting units. This Federal funding has been a collaborative effort with the Town of Navassa and will allow us to replace a slip-on unit that is 24 years old and add two additional units. All three of the new units will be equipped with compressed air foam systems (CAFS). We are excited about adding CAFS to our firefighting arsenal and having this tool as an option.

09/08/2026

Earlier today, we were honored to receive a “9/11 NEVER FORGET” flag from the Patriot Guard Riders, an organization that provides flag lines and motorcycle escorts for fallen military members and first responders. Its volunteers generously donate their time to perform these services. The flag, designed and donated by local resident Gwen Luiacono, serves as a reminder to never forget the events of that day or the lives lost. We will place this flag on permanent display in our apparatus bay beside the US Flag. We want to thank the Patriot Guard Riders for all they do!

09/02/2026

We are pleased to announce the order of a new foam truck that will enhance our ability to respond to industrial hazards.

The truck will carry 300 gallons of Class B foam, 100 gallons of Class A foam, 2,200 gallons of water, 100 lbs. of Purple K, 20 gallons of high-expansion foam, and 20 gallons of F-500EA encapsulator. Key features include:

• A Hale Q-Max pump NFPA rated at 2,250 gallons per minute, with the ability to exceed 3,000 gallons per minute when supplied by an adequate water source.
• A custom main intake manifold with two 6-inch side-by-side intakes on both the passenger(officer) and driver sides, plus dual Trident pneumatic primers.
• A Rowe Industries 200 CFM compressed air foam system (CAFS) and a FoamPro around-the-pump proportioner.
• Through-the-tank ladder and storage for a 3,000-gallon dump tank.
• Twin bumper-mounted, wireless remote-control Task Force Tips Tornado master nozzles, each rated at 500 gallons per minute and capable of flowing water or firefighting foam.
• A Task Force Tips Monsoon monitor with an electric Task Force Tips self-educting Masterfoam nozzle and an electric Task Force Tips telescoping waterway capable of flowing 2,000 gallons per minute of Class B foam.
• Speedlays, a front bumper jump line, and a booster reel all compressed air foam system capable.

Although designed primarily for foam operations in the train yard, distillation plant, and out on the Interstate I-140, the truck can also serve as a 2,200-gallon tanker/engine for vehicle, structure, and wildland fires. Together with our two existing 3,000-gallon tankers, it will give us an initial in-house tanker response capacity of 8,200 gallons of water.

We chose Deep South Fire Trucks to build the truck because of their reliability and continued support for our two existing tankers. The truck will be built on a 2027 Peterbilt 548 chassis and designed to closely match our current Peterbilt 548 tanker.

We will also order 1,100 gallons of environmentally friendly National Foam Universal Green 3% firefighting foam. Our existing foam trailer will be converted in-house into an 825-gallon foam tanker to support the new truck. A Williams Fire Hazard Control WATP-1500V around-the-pump proportioner will be added and allow the trailer to connect to any fire apparatus with a pump, making it foam capable.

We thank NC State Representative Frank Iler for visiting with us three years ago and supporting this effort, and we appreciate the Town of Navassa for its continued support. We also thank the Selma Fire Department and ADR Fire-Rescue for allowing us to observe their foam response operations, which helped shape this project.

08/19/2026

Photos from the 2025 Trunk or Treat. Looking forward to this year's event!