Firefighters unveil historic restored truck
1929 Bickle to be used as ambassador for city
The pride of the Fort Saskatchewan Fire Department’s fleet is back and its about to become one of the city’s most popular and well-travelled ambassadors.
The 1929 Bickle Model AA fire truck, delivered to the local fire hall earlier this year under the cover of early morning darkness, was unveiled to the public Friday at the Fort Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce’s Trade Show and Sale.
With curious residents and politicians from every level of government causing a trade show traffic jam around the booth of the local fire department, firefighters rolled a protective sheet off the bright red, ladder-adorned truck to applause from the impressed onlookers.
Following a year of fundraising, the truck spent 15 months with an Ontario-based restoration company after local businesses and individuals stepped up to break their banks open for the $100,000 project.
“For us to unveil it for everyone in Fort Saskatchewan – for everyone that got involved and contributed to the project – it’s definitely a treat for us. The guys were really looking forward to today,” Platoon Chief Tim Morin said following Friday’s unveiling.
But Friday wasn’t the first time the firefighters saw the truck. A few weeks ago, a private function was held to unveil the truck to sponsors and dignitaries. And even before that unveiling, the very first unveiling came when the fire truck was unloaded off the transport truck following its return trip from southwestern Ontario.
“When we first brought it into the fire hall and we were unloading it off the transport, it was an amazing morning. It was the middle of the night; it was dark. We didn’t really get to see much of it outside until we brought it into the bay,” Morin said.
“We were all just in awe. We just stood and stared at it. It was incredible.”
Following its cross-country trip, the truck was in “rough shape,” Morin added. The truck needed to be polished, which is a task the restoration crew completed before slipping it back into its trailer that morning.
“The idea was we wanted to polish it up before our members even got a chance to see it,” Morin said.
Now that the truck has returned and has been unveiled, the city and fire department have grand plans for it. The truck will start to travel the province to promote the city at events, such as the Calgary Stampede parade or Edmonton’s Capital Ex parade. The truck will also be taken to different municipalities in the region, to others that request a visit and even to antique shows.
“It’s something we’ll be able to use as a showcase piece for the fire department and the city as a whole,” said Mayor Jim Sheasgreen, who was “wowed” by the restored truck when he first saw it.
“I looked at it and I said, ‘Holy macarel.’”
While the truck is restored, the remainder of the project – turning the interior of the truck’s storage trailer into a museum – is still a work in progress.
The Model AA Ford chassis was originally purchased by the Town of Fort Saskatchewan in 1929 and was outfitted as a fire truck by the Bickle Fire Engine Company in Woodstock, Ont. It served Fort Saskatchewan for about 25 years before being decommissioned.
