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

UNC researchers developing the world’s largest sky-survey telescope
UNC is embarking on a bold new era of astronomical discovery with the construction of the Argus Array, a revolutionary telescope system that will be...
Wed Jul 1, 2026

These Tar Heels are working the World Cup
As the world visits North America this summer for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, some Tar Heels are helping make the historic event happen. The...
Tue Jun 30, 2026

America250 At Carolina
As the nation’s first public university, UNC-Chapel Hill has been guided for more than two centuries by a commitment to lead our state and our...
Sun Jun 28, 2026

UNC alum, former Tar Heels soccer player Jenny Chiu hosts FIFA World Cup TV series
Jenny Chiu ’17 always aimed to become a soccer star. And she has — just not in the way she imagined. As 48 countries compete...
Sat Jun 27, 2026