This topic might make fire apparatus manufacturers cringe. In well-to-do fire departments, it could create inappropriate reactions ranging from snickering to laughing hysterically. Dyed-in-the-wool safety gurus and supporters of regulatory standards might go into vapor lock. Those who don’t permanently lose their prime might rush to judgment, denouncing the concept of homemade fire trucks by citing rules, regulatory standards, liability, and possibly the mental acuity of this author.
Some Raisin Squad members say I’m stirring the pot too much, and I should tread lightly. Even the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment hierarchy cautioned me to say that they, me, or we are not recommending building your own fire apparatus and that I am just relaying my personal opinion on the concept and some interesting rigs I saw. OK – I can live with that.
To placate proponents of grammatical correctness, a homemade fire truck has been called shop-built, department-built, built in house, repurposed, and/or modified in house. It can be an existing rig whose “intent and purpose” has been changed or it can be a commercial or former military vehicle turned into a fire truck. Pick whatever description fits your agenda.
A while back, the Squad’s topic was homemade grass fire (brush) trucks. The other day, we were jabbering that most homemade rigs were tankers and large brush trucks. I brought in photographs Tom Shand had sent showing a few (photos 1, 2, and 3). One of the geezers said you don’t see too many homemade pumpers. After doing research online, the next morning I bragged that fire apparatus historian and author Walt McCall wrote many years ago that W.S. Darley was known as a supplier of “kit” fire trucks. Darley would ship all the parts and pieces for a fire department to have a pumper assembled on a locally-sourced chassis – or do it themselves. The Squad wasn’t impressed, so I went home.
A couple mornings later I mentioned not seeing many homemade ladder trucks, and those that I did usually didn’t have pumps or aerials. They were called city service ladder trucks. Trying to impress the troops, I brought in an old photo-of-a-photo (photo 4) of a homemade ladder truck from my father’s former fire company. According to the company’s history it was a hand-drawn truck put into service in June 1911. Supposedly, it was a ladder and bucket cart that was motorized in 1925 with a 1921 Colt 8-cylinder chassis. Don’t panic over the photo; that’s not a real aerial device. And, it’s not Photoshopped. The elevated master stream is actually a 2½-inch nozzle and hose tied to a Bangor ladder that was footed against the running board of the trailer and supported in front with the Bangor poles. OSHA wasn’t around then. The deck gun looks homemade, but I can’t prove it. Dad said it was long gone when he joined in the early 1930s.
Fiscally Challenged
An unfortunate fact of life is there are fire departments in the United States that are – for want of a better description – dirt poor. They’ve been called impoverished, hardscrabble, hicks, hillbillys, farmers, and any number of derogatory terms. That’s just not right. Departments, as well as their firefighters, should not be disparaged because of their financial standing.
Some fire departments might serve sparsely populated response district(s) or have no substantial tax base. They could be self-governed and dependent on donations and fundraisers for money. Or, they could answer to politicians who are either uncaring or uneducated in the fire service. Some purse-string holders can be so fiscally conservative (i.e. cheap) they can bite a penny so hard that Abe Lincoln will yell out.
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome is a saying attributed to – or claimed by – both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy SEALS. If there’s one of each in a room, it’s best not to take sides on which service coined it first. Service members from most branches of the military followed similar doctrine after being discharged, coming home, and joining a fire department. Their experiences and expertise in fixing stuff and making things work better weren’t limited to building a homemade fire truck. New rigs were often tweaked after being in service for a while. Some departments had to repair and modify their apparatus on their own out of necessity. Never underestimate the resourcefulness of dedicated firefighters with limited resources as well as those in well-heeled departments. Many tools used in today’s fire service were invented by officers as well as the rank-and-file. In 1948, FDNY First Deputy Chief Hugh Halligan invented the tool that still bears his name today. And, don’t forget former volunteer Daniel Hayes, who went from being a machinist for the Amoskeag Company building steam fire engine pumpers to a deliveryman and trainer for them to superintendent of Steam Pumpers for the San Francisco Fire Department, to finally building the first domestic aerial ladder that also bore his name.
Limited Resources
From one fire department’s 1980 annual report found online: “Our major piece of new equipment this year is a forcible entry saw to be used mainly for ventilation purposes. This saw will cut wood, metal, and cement. A gated wye was made out of old parts and saved us over $300.”
From its 1981 annual report: “New equipment consists of 200 feet of 1¾ attack hose and a new nozzle for this hose. We also purchased a Hooligan tool for forcible entry.” From its 1982 annual report: “Because of Proposition 2½, the only new items purchased this past year were two salvage covers.” Proposition 2½ was a state law that put a cap on taxation.
It got worse. The 1983 annual report said: “Proposition 2½ caused our budget request to be cut by nearly 51% at Annual Town Meeting. Cuts of this magnitude in an all-volunteer service can only be reflected in a decrease of equipment and building maintenance and items to replace worn out or broken firefighting gear. The roof on the back half of the fire station leaks and needs replacing. The upstairs needs to be insulated to conserve heat, as do the doors to the equipment bays. We do not have enough turnout gear to full dress our 22 firefighters and much of what we have is badly worn or not serviceable.”
Can you believe some firefighters today whine and stomp their feet because they couldn’t have dual Roto-Rays with matching figure-8 lights, stainless wheel covers, a three-color paint job, and $18,000 worth of graphics on a new $1 million pumper?
Ladder 1
Getting back to the topic at hand, another week one of the white hairs brings in photo 5, which he copied off the Internet. He said it didn’t look like a “real” ladder truck but claimed his photo was much better than mine because it was in color, sharp, and clear. It was lettered Ladder 1 Cummington Fire and had an official Massachusetts license plate denoting it was a fire truck. It warranted further investigation.
Not knowing anything about Cummington or its fire department, I had to research it and look on a map to find it. It’s a small town of 23 square miles in the Berkshire Mountains with less than 50 miles of town roads and nine miles of state roads – all two lane. The population is around 800, and 30% of the 460 some odd homes are heated with wood – ripe for chimney fires.
It would be impossible to discuss, evaluate or pass judgement about its ladder truck without first knowing about the fire department, its history, and what makes it tick. Two excellent resources for New England fire apparatus are https://massfiretrucks.com/, by Mike Boynton, and https://www.firenews.org/, by John Galla. I’ve referred to both in the past and did so for this article. In viewing both Websites, the Cummington (MA) Fire Department didn’t seem that poor to me. It operates three store-bought rigs: a 1989 four-door commercial pumper-tanker, a 2006 four-door custom pumper with CAFS, and a 2011 two-door commercial vacuum tanker. In addition, it repurposed an ambulance as a light rescue and has two homemade rigs: Ladder 1 and a Brush Tanker (photo 6).
I contacted Chief Adam Dragon for information on Ladder 1. He directed me to the department’s former chief, Bernard (Bernie) Forgea, who was instrumental in the Ladder 1 purchase. Bernie, a unique character who could become borderline cantankerous if pushed too hard, is still an active member of the fire department. He said Cummington has been running homemade and used apparatus since the early 1950s, but Ladder 1 has been the best. By the way, the early 1980s annual reports are from Cummington. I have to get my nap in before Bernie calls again.
Look for the next part of the “Homemade Fire Trucks” series, where I’ll finish the story.
BILL ADAMS is a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board, a former fire apparatus salesman, and a past chief of the East Rochester (NY) Fire Department. He has 50 years of experience in the volunteer fire service.
