Mike Sanders and are going back in time to Henrico, Virginia.
Mike calls this post a “teaser” because a new book, “See You at the Big One – A History Of The Henrico County, VA Division Of Fire” is scheduled to be published later this year and pre-orders are now being taken through March 15th. Mike has nothing to do with the publishing or sale of the book itself.
Pictured to the left are some of Mike’s photographs.
The first is a 1962 International/Oren/Grove 100’ ladder truck.
Next is Engine 7, a 1964 International VCO206A built by Oren.
Third is Engine 2, 1968 Duplex/Oren, as photographed in 1988.
Lastly shown here is a 1970 Duplex/Oren.
Check out his post here where Mike gives full descriptions of the apparatus on and shows the before picture for Engine 2–before it was painted lime green and white, it was red and white.
Mike says “Going Back In Time” is possible “because early fire truck enthusiasts like Robert Kimball and William Schilling photographed and shared their collection of Virginia fire trucks.”
If you’d like to pre-order the Henrico County history book, call 1-888-263-4702 or www.mtpublishing.com
Mike Sanders and have gone back in time again–this time to Roanoke, Virginia. He’s also looking for help to complete the information he has for the different apparatus. Can you help?
Those of us who are fire apparatus enthusiasts and know the state of Virginia most likely think about the “Battleship Gray” colored fire trucks that Roanoke once had in service. In this column I am going to ask for help and feedback from our readers in helping to fill in blanks. Some of the slides and photographs I have in my collection from Roanoke have some question marks in terms of information, so any input is greatly appreciated.
1946 Seagrave marked as Engine 18. A beautiful example of the Battleship Gray. I have been told the color gray was a result of the wartime efforts. Equipped with a 750 gallon per minute pump and carried serial number C7070. I believe this engine also ran as Engine 7 and Engine 6.
Personally, I love the apparatus from the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s. Roanoke operated a variety of unique equipment during this time frame and I will be able to highlight some of those trucks in this column. Unlike previous columns, I will provide some more detailed information on the truck, such as the serial number. I am hoping that this will provide additional information so that more history can be learned regarding the Roanoke apparatus.
To read more and see all of Mike’s pictures and captions, check out here.
1950 Maxim 65’ ladder truck. Roanoke owned two of these ladder trucks, and I believe both were originally painted in battleship gray. Obviously, this photograph was taken later on in its career at Roanoke and had been repainted to lime/white. The Maxim ladder trucks carried serial numbers 1728 and 1729 and I believe were originally assigned to Ladder’s 2 and 6. One of the Maxim’s was eventually sold to the Pennington Gap VFD in southwest Virginia.
1963 International V-196A/Oren. Originally Engine 9 and Engine 18 as reserve. In this photograph, it is marked as Engine 902 and running as a reserve. It was equipped with a 750 gallon per minute pump and held 500 gallons of water. It carried Oren serial number 1778.
CONSOLIDATION: Medtec is closing 2 facilities in Indiana and moving to Florida. WSBT reports almost 200 people with the ambulance manufacturer will lose their jobs. Medtec is consolidating resources with sister company Pierce and moving operations to Pierce’s facilities in Florida. Click here for WSBT’s full report.
PATENT APPROVED: Pierce announces its been granted a U.S. Patent for the Pierce Ultimate Configuration (PUC™) firefighting vehicle. Pierce says it’s sold more than 500 PUCs, putting it among the most popular Pierce apparatus in history.
The PUC is an industry-changing multi-purpose response vehicle that is engineered to eliminate the need for a bulky pumphouse. The PUC features a simplified two-step pump shift operation and redesigned pump panel for ease of use. In addition, the design frees space while improving function. With a wheelbase as short as 172-inches for improved maneuverability, the PUC also provides up to 500 cubic-feet of storage.
Over at VaFireNews.com, Mike Sanders recently featured Round Hill, Virginia, in an apparatus profile. Mike gives some history of the department, started in 1953, and showcases many photos of today’s fleet. Check out his post here.
COLLISIONS & INCIDENTS:
STAGGERED PARKING PROTECTS SCENE: Two Stratford, Connecticut, fire trucks were heavily damaged Friday after being hit by two separate tractor trailers. There were some minor injuries, but no fatalities thanks to parking procedures at incidents. See previous FireTruckBlog.com coverage here.
ROLL OVER: Three Madison Township (Indiana) firefighters were very lucky to not have serious injuries after their tanker overturned Friday morning. Read more from Fox28 here and from the South Bend Tribune here.
AMBULANCE STRUCK: A man is in critical condition after colliding with a Livingston County, Michigan, ambulance. LivingstonDaily.com reports the ambulance, with a patient on board, had its lights and sirens activated. The full article can be found here.
SAND TRAP: Click here for the video of a rig in Honolulu, Hawaii, getting a little help to break free of a sand on the beach.
DONATION:
SISTER CITY TRAINING: Some Minneapolis firefighters are headed to Kenya to train city workers in Eldoret on operations and maintenance of Minneapolis’ old truck. Minneapolis donated the 1988 pumper last year–part of the rig’s trip included a 6-week sea journey. Read more from Minneapolis here, including what the training sessions will cover. More pictures can be seen on MyFoxTwinCities here.
TEACHING TOOL OR FULL OF HOT AIR?
In Cheshire, England, the Fire Brigade Union is questioning the bosses’ purchase of a bouncy fire house while also implementing budget cuts. According to the Daily Mail, the union says the purchase and operating costs of the “apparatus” during the past 18 months exceeds the salary of one year for an experienced firefighter. The bouncy truck is used to teach children about fire safety. Read the full article here.
NEW DELIVERIES:
Station 66 in Arroyo Grande, California, celebrated the new year with a new addition–a Pierce. The Santa Maria times reports this is the first new apparatus for the Five Cities Fire Authority.
Pierce representative Cary Eckard quickly ran through some of its features — a boom that extends 100 feet, holds 1,000 pounds and delivers up to 2,000 gallons of water per minute from the platform monitor; powered by a 505 horsepower Detroit Diesel; and carrying 300 gallons of water, 65 gallons of fuel, an 8 kilowatt generator, “tons of storage” and a crew of four.
It’s a new 102-foot aerial truck for the folks in Trenton, Michigan. A grant from FEMA for $750,000 helped pay the majority of the cost of the Rosenbauer rig. The News Herald has more here.
DuQuion.com reports the new Elkville, Illinois, truck is nimble and functional–good for both community firefighting and calls in rural areas. The new apparatus was built by Toyne Fire Apparatus Company and features a 500 gpm pump and 2,000 gallon tank. John Croessman has all the details here on DuQuion.com.
FUNDING:
A 26-year-old engine will be replaced in Frenchtown Township, Michigan, thanks to a $285,000 federal grant. More can be found here at MonroeNews.com.
Fundraising, raffles, and donations totalling $43,000 may help the Washington Island Fire Department (Wisconsin) acquire a used truck from a nearby department. The Door County Advocate reports a vote will come Monday. The Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Department is asking $45,000 for its truck.
Mike Sanders has been “Going Back In Time” on VaFireNews.com. This time, he takes us to Arlington, Virginia.
In 1979, Arlington County placed into service two GMC 7500/Bruco engines equipped with 1000 gallon per minute pumps with 500 gallons of water. These engines were the second engine of a two piece engine company, a concept very common at that time with Northern Virginia fire departments. Arlington’s GMC/Bruco’s were assigned to fire stations 71 and 79.
The engine from Station 79 was ultimately sold and went into service with Goldvein, Virginia in Fauquier County. While at Goldvein, it stayed in its yellow and white colors from Arlington. From Goldvein it ended up at Keplinger Repair Service in Winchester.
This year I had the opportunity to photograph the fire apparatus at Capon Bridge, West Virginia.
To read the rest of Mike’s post as he visited Capon Bridge and see more pictures, click here.
Missing a Fire Truck? If so, you might start looking in the Netherlands. As the narrator of the YouTube video above shows, the Chevy truck says “St. Louis” on it and has Ohio plates. He says it was found on the side of the road.
Also on the Side of the Road: A tow truck in Pontiac, Illinois, had to come to the rescue of a fire truck after it slid off the road in snow. See pictures and read the story here.
Going Back in Time: Mike Sanders has started what he hopes to be a regular feature on VAFireNews.com, Going Back in Time. His first post focuses on the Rouss Fire Company of Winchester, Virginia, with a 1940 Peter Pirsch 75’ midship ladder truck, 1969 Pirsch Engine, 1956 American LaFrance, and others. Check out Mike’s pictures and descriptions here.
are going back in time to Henrico, Virginia.
Mike calls this post a “teaser” because a new book, “See You at the Big One – A History Of The Henrico County, VA Division Of Fire” is scheduled to be published later this year and pre-orders are now being taken through March 15th. Mike has nothing to do with the publishing or sale of the book itself.
ROLL OVER: Three Madison Township (Indiana) firefighters were very lucky to not have serious injuries after their tanker overturned Friday morning. Read more from Fox28 
