HomeMy WebLinkAbout1957 Fire Engine1957 Fire Engine
The picture shows Chief Dudden, Director of Public Safety, accepting delivery of the Village's first fire engine.
The engine was built by the American-LaFrance Co. of Elmira, NY and, as was the standard of the day shipped
by railcar to WPB where it was picked up (explaining the background). The other gentleman in the picture was
the factory technician sent with the engine to provide training in use & maintenance to department personnel.
The engine was state-of-the-art for small suburban fire departments of the day; built on a commercial chassis
with a 750 gallon per minute (GPM) pump and 500 gallon water tank, two people rode in the cab and the rest of
the crew rode, standing on the tailboard. In comparison, our engines today are built on a custom chassis with
1250 GPM pumps, still a 500 gallon tank, and everyone rides inside the protective cab.