Imagine getting the chance to buy your great-grand dads fire truck, the one he was the Fire Chief on

photos from a gallery of a couple dozen images you might want to see at http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/gallery/news/ford-model-t-fire-pumper/collection_867d52dc-c454-11e4-8033-c754830d5e0f.html?mode=jqm&pos=8

There is a video on http://videos.pressofatlanticcity.com/1921-Model-T-Fire-Truck-Back-in-West-Cape-May-28675714

Back in 1921 Chuck McPherson’s great-grandfather, Bill Eldredge was the fire chief of the West Cape May Volunteer Fire Company, and spearheaded the effort to get a Model T pumper fire truck, Ford made the cab and chassis, but then the company had to bring the chassis to the Hale Fire Pump Co. in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, for installation of the pump and other outfitting work.

Recently, a fire truck collector called Chuck and offered him first chance to buy it. Chuck is the possibly 4th generation fire fighter, his great grand dad was fire chief in 1921, his grand father joined the fire dept in 1937.

While modern pumpers carry at least 1,000 gallons of water, the Model T has a 60-gallon tank. It could be set to draft from a lake or other water source, while another option was using a bucket brigade to keep filling the tank through a “slop feed” on the top.

If they had to go in a house, a handy Dietz kerosene lantern hung on back of the truck for interior lighting.

For more of the story: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/west-cape-fire-department-gets-model-t-pumper-back/article_3050c0b4-c603-11e4-abea-8f4757f5eb4b.html