September 20, 2015 Truck 504 Arrives at the Fire House

After years of discussion, planning, getting specifications, and then waiting for the truck to be built, the big day arrived.

On a warm, sunny fall afternoon, fire department personnel, village board members and others gathered to take possession of the new rescue pumper. Mark Oswad from Four-Guys Fire Trucks was sharing baseball caps to all present.

The rescue-pumper, designated 504 is 32 feet long, and seats five personnel. Four of the seats have built-in air-pack storage, allowing firefighters to strap on their first air pack in-route to the scene.

The tank holds 750 gallons of water with a 750 gallon per minute pump. There is one master intake port and eight discharge ports. For those times when darkness prevails, there is an on-board generator and four-head light tower.

In addition, the multiple storage compartments hold vital equipment such as the “jaws of life,” generator, first responder medical equipment, more air packs and much more. The top bed also has three long hose lays and additional compartments.

Pictures and more pictures were taken of people beside the new truck. The compartments were opened and examined.

Slide-out tray with fire extinguishers 

Compartments waiting for supplies

Seats with air pack storage

Ovid Fire Chief looking at one of the compartments 

Looking over the new truck 

Pump panel

Photos by Karen Nelson

Then came a point in time as I watched the old red rescue truck leave the station and head north. Sitting, waiting for its first tone-out, was the bright shiny new truck, and as 541, the rescue truck drove by, I could imagine one saying to the other, “Well done. We’ll take over the watch from here.”

The old and the new
Photo from the author's collection

On 504’s maiden run she performed her job to full capacity. Delivering personnel, providing illumination and putting the jaws and tools right where they needed to be for a car into tree MVC. Since that time she continues to be an outstanding member of the fire department and has become popular with the surrounding companies for all of the same reasons. Especially with the light tower.

Stocking 504 under the lights 

Dewitt’s Diary, Wednesday, September 20, 1972

Temperature 40. Clear and a taste of what is to come.

We went over all of the wheat ground. Art Horton planted it for me this afternoon.

A cool fall day. No frost around here.

My field corn shows ears dented on more than half of them. Corn is very backward this year, a few more days before frost will make a big difference in the crop.

We dug out 8 bushels of potatoes. The first row went about 10 bushels of sorted potatoes. I have 26 rows of late potatoes.