Ever wondered what all those buildings are for at the Keeter Training Center, when you visit the Raleigh Fire Museum? Here’s a new infographic, adapting an aerial photo from May 2022. Plus some history.
The training grounds were opened in 1954, along what was then called Highway 15-A, now South Wilmington Street. The access road was later named [as an extension of] Hoke Street, now Keeter Center Drive. A five-story brick training tower was erected, that included a standpipe system, exterior fire escape, and a safety net.[1]
There was also a concrete drill pad and several fire hydrants. Until that time, training had been conducted in the rear of Memorial Auditorium, which also housed Fire Station 2. The rear of the 1932 performing arts center was designed to be used as a training tower.[2]
In 1965, department members constructed a brick smokehouse on the grounds. In 1982, a two-story classroom building was completed on the site and the facility was renamed Keeter Training Center, in honor of the late, retired Fire Chief and Mayor Pro Tem Jack Keeter[3].
By that time, the day room at Station 2 had been serving as a classroom for recruit academies.
Later additions to the grounds included a railroad tank car in/around 1984, with RFD haz-mat team formed that year; the lower USAR “pit” in the early 2000s, with the creation of NC USAR Task Force 8; modular classroom buildings up top, beginning in 2005; and a bathhouse beside those buildings in the 2010s.
The old training tower was demolished in April 2005. By that time, the metal fire escape had been condemned. (The safety net was long gone.) It was replaced by five-story + two-story prefabricated building, with an LP-powered fire simulator, plus smoke generator system. It was dedicated on May 2, 2006.[4]
The main building has also been renovated and expanded over the decades, notably adding a second floor on the south side and over what was originally a two-story, double-bay indoor/garage space.
The modular buildings have also been repurposed over the years. Classroom 1 now houses office space for recruit academy instructors. Classroom 2 has housed the fire museum since 2010. It was dedicated on June 14, 2011.[5][6]
[1] See the fire museum’s Flickr albums for a ton of photos of the old tower and training grounds.
[2] Here are pictures of Fire Station 2 at Memorial Auditorium (now the Duke Energy Center).
[3] John Boswell “Jack” Keeter was the department’s ninth career chief. He served from 1955 to 1973. See a list of all fire chiefs.
[4] Here’s a photo survey of the tower, before its demolition in 2005.
[5] Hare are pictures from the fire museum dedication in 2011.
[6] Did you know that the Raleigh City Museum’s original location opened its first exhibit with a history of the fire department? Here are pictures from the grand opening in 1993. The exhibit was created with the help of retired Captain B. T. Fowler, who was the department’s historian for many years.
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