Former New York Firefighter Shows Toy Fire Apparatus Collection

Dick Goodale, 82, worked as a volunteer firefighter for 26 years at the Camillus (NY ) Fire Station #1 and has collected nearly 300 fire trucks.

Today, the decor in the Goodales’ master bedroom has been overtaken by bookshelves filled to capacity with fire trucks of all sizes.

Over the years, friends and family members remembered Goodale with such treasures on his birthday and during the holidays. His collection grew to more than 200 firetrucks, plus other fire department memorabilia. A fabric wall hanging, sewn by a friend, depicts the theme of the collection. And, for fun, Goodale placed an antique wooden doll and a plastic monkey at the wheel of one of his favorites, a large wooden hand-carved model.

Among Goodale’s treasures is a black-and-white photo of more three dozen firefighters he worked with in the late 1980s, as well as a colorful photo of him in the front passenger seat of an American Lafrance fire truck, photographed in 2004 during the Camillus Memorial Day Parade.

Fire department officials had found out Dick was in town and invited him to ride in the truck, Ann said. It had been more than 12 years since Dick last rode in a fire truck.

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