Getting started

The Ukiah Fire Department has a 1923 American LaFrance fire engine that has been non-operational for about the last 20 or so years. No body really seems to know. That will be a theme here, tracking down some of the history while we try to bring her back to life.

Mike and Bruce as we got 1R backed into the station.

The engine has sat in the corner of our station for most of the almost ten years that I've been working here. About a year ago an engineer that I work with, Mike Stewart, started to talk about putting some time and effort into turning our old 1923 LaFrance. The department has always, at least that I can remember, called this piece 1R. Nothing really happened for a while, other than we started talking about it more and more. Then Mike found a place that might be able to rebuild the radiator. Rumor had it that all the engine needed was for the radiator repaired in order for it to be running again. That got the ball rolling and Mike requested that our department association pay for the radiator repair out of our restoration fund. Hopefully this will motivate all of us to put some elbow grease and time into this piece and bring this piece of history back to the Eagle Fire Company.