Blue fire trucks connect UNC to the Town

Posted Oct 7, 2019
It was UNC's homecoming game in 1996. Mack Brown was the football coach, and the Tar Heels were 2-0. Before the team took the field to defeat Georgia Tech, fans and Chapel Hill residents were treated to a surprise that would change the community. It was at this game, Sept. 21, 1996, that the first Carolina blue fire truck was introduced to Chapel Hill. (Daily Tar Heel)

Related: Campus Connections

Nonprofit at UNC pairs those with chronic illnesses with a service dog
UNC’s chapter of Lux’s Purpose was founded this year. Service dogs cost as much as $50,000-$70,000, and there is not a single insurance plan that...
Sun Aug 16, 2026

UNC Gears Up for First Day of Classes
The Chapel Hill summer is wrapping up this weekend, as UNC students return to campus ahead of the first day of class on Monday. “It’s...
Sat Aug 15, 2026

Twenty Tar Heels Recognized As ACC Graduate Scholar-Athletes
The ACC recognized more than 260 student-athletes, including 20 Tar Heels, as the inaugural class of ACC Graduate Scholar-Athletes for the 2025-26 academic year. To...
Wed Aug 12, 2026

Carolina Insider Podcast: UNC Football Training Camp, Basketball Talk, Mallory Wilmouth
Season 11 of the Carolina Insider Podcast begins as UNC Football training camp is in full swing (3:36). Carolina Basketball continues to adjust its roster...
Wed Aug 12, 2026