Truck found at Shields’ farm
Ranger A New Jersey fire engine that found its way south of the Mason-Dixon Line is going home after being found by one of the firefighters that crewed it in its original department.
The 1977 American LaFrance pumper served the community before ending up on Ranger Volunteer Fire Department board member Johnny Shields’ dairy farm. The engine was located online by the son of retired Somerdale, N.J., volunteer firefighter Frank Rizzo Sr. Rizzo, who lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C., contacted Shields to inquire about the truck.
On Friday, the engine was trailered to be returned home to Somerdale.
“He’d been looking for it for 12 years, and (the Ranger Volunteer Fire Department) gave it to me,” Shields said. “They were going to scrap it out about four or five years ago because they were getting all-new equipment.”
Shields initially planned to convert the engine to a farm truck, but never got around to it. The truck sat on his farm for about three years.
‘Tickled to death’
“The guy called me wanting to know if I’d let them have it, and I said I would,” Shields said. “He was tickled to death to get it back.”
Shields said Somerdale planned to use the truck in its 100th anniversary festivities once it was restored. Rizzo first contacted the Ranger department, which then contacted him.
“He called me the next day, and I told him, ‘Yeah we’d get rid of it,’ because I needed it out of the way anyway, and he was tickled. He said, ‘Oh, my heart’s pounding.’ ”
Rizzo said he first came acquainted with the engine upon its delivery to the Somerdale department in 1977. He said a small volunteer department acquiring an American LaFrance engine was uncommon due to the price of the apparatus, which was among the highest-end fire engines built at the time.
“We had (fire) companies from all over coming around, because small communities couldn’t afford a truck like this,” Rizzo said. “It was unheard of.”
He shared his first thought on seeing the engine again after several years.
“I was just amazed that it was in this good of condition after all these years. … To find this again. To me that’s just the patina, the beauty of this truck, you see that little bit of rust on it. That’s just the history of the truck, you know,” Rizzo said.
Rizzo also reminisced about his experiences with the engine. He said he easily responded to 300-400 calls on the truck during his time in the fire service.
“This truck was very tough to drive because you had to double-clutch it,” Shields said. “I was one of the (driver) engineers on this truck. Joe Walsh, who worked as a truck driver for the Acme Corp., had no issue at all, he was the primary driver of this truck early on when we first got it.”
He discussed one of the trucks major responses, when it was called out to assist in battling the Garden State Park Racetrack fire on April 14, 1977, soon after its delivery. The fire claimed three lives, but 11,000 spectators were able to be evacuated from the grandstands.
‘Place went crazy’
“At the time, it was totally constructed with wood, and that place went crazy when it caught fire,” Rizzo said. “They called in fire companies from all over the place, and this was one of the first times in New Jersey’s history that Philadelphia came across the bridge to help fight that fire. That’s how bad the fire was.”
He said the engine was so new at the time of the fire that the hoses included with it were still in cardboard boxes.
“We had the guys unboxing the hose at the location, and 100 feet of 4-inch hose is heavy,” Rizzo said. “It was crazy trying to get it off.”
Much of the truck’s original equipment is still intact, including the 4-inch hose and various fittings in its compartments. The Detroit diesel engine powering the truck still runs after minor repairs.
Shields said he was glad to see the engine return home rather than being sold for scrap.
“I’m kind of tickled myself,” Shields said.
Rizzo again spoke to the uniqueness of the engine, especially compared to modern apparatus.
“You couldn’t build this truck anymore today,” Rizzo said. “Finances don’t allow it. It’s unbelievable.”