Usually, I try to write the Cold Starts the night before, because then they’re all fresh and ready to go right at 8 am, which makes Peter, who does our story scheduling among other things, happy. But I’m not here to make Peter happy! I’m here to make you happy, and sometimes that means falling asleep even though I was going to try to write one of these. Occasionally, though, waiting for morning to start this yields some interesting Cold Start opportunities, like today when I spotted a local fire truck broken down just across my street. I don’t get to look at a fire truck and its internals all up close very often, so let’s look at this one! Together!
Right off the bat, I’m sure you noticed that the color isn’t exactly the fire truck traditional red; that’s because I live in a college town, and people here will paint anything that is incapable of getting away on its own Carolina blue.
It’s actually pretty fetching, looking, I think. I took this picture of the seal on the side and while I get the ladder and hydrant, I have no idea what the hell that statue in the central circle is supposed to be:
It looks kind of like a statue of Athena or Minerva or some goddess like that, but as far as I know, there is no such statue anywhere in town. Why is that there? And I know she’s holding a shield there, but it’s more fun if you think of it as a giant egg.
This truck is a Pierce, a pumper of some kind; I’m not familiar enough with fire trucks to be able to know what year it may be from; fire trucks tend to look quite consistent year-t0-year and are extremely well-maintained, so this thing could be from the 1990s as far as I can tell.
I love the way the tilt cabs look when opened, because it’s very easy to imagine the truck bowing respectfully or being engrossed in a book:
I’ve not had a chance to see a fire truck engine up close in a while, so this was a treat:
A huge diesel, as expected, and I think it may be a PACCAR MX-13 engine, though I’m not certain. It’s an inline-six, displacing a massive 12.9 liters, and weighs almost twice as much as my entire Nissan Pao does, at 2,600 pounds. It makes between 400-500 horsepower, roughly, and between 1,450 and 1,850 lb-ft of torque. It’s a beast.
Is that a thermal cozy thing over the exhaust pipe there? Is that to keep heat out of the cab?
Behind the engine you can see all of the pumping hardware; I wonder why plumbing on pump hardware is painted, but engines almost are never? Probably thermal reasons. These are pumping water, not hot exhaust, after all. It’s just interesting how different various mechanical systems look.
Fire trucks may be the best-maintained vehicles you’re likely to encounter, even if this one did break down. Look at those chrome panels and hose fittings gleam!
Time to talk lighting! I think it’s interesting that fire trucks tend to be some of the last holdouts to use sealed beams. Almost all the light units are sort of tacked on to the bodywork, not integrated, which makes replacement and upgrades very easy. Look at that fantastic LED-grid turn indicator, too!
And, I’ve always loved the bold utility of fire truck taillights, especially the turn indicators with the arrows. Maybe I’ll put those on my F-150? That would be fun. Also, note the little bit of kitchy style with those diamond-shaped rear reflectors and side markers.
That was satisfying, right? Remind me to thank Chance for bringing me a Cold Start idea right to my door! Oh, and if you’re wondering, the firefighters at the truck were happy to let me take pictures, in exchange for letting them take pics of the Changli.
For some reason I’m imagining the Chapel Hill fire department hanging out of the sides of the ChangLi as they race (well, slowly roll) to the scene of a fire, with buckets of water in hand (and Jason’s chainsaw in lieu of the jaws of life).
“Our Pierce broke down so we had to improvise!”
Are you sure they just didn’t hear about you planning to do maintenance on the Changli and decided they needed to park out front just in case?
This is the most likely scenario. They read about how he removes batteries with an axe and decided to be proactive.
That truck is fairly recent, it looks like it has an aftertreatment system and EGR cooler so it is post heavy diesel emissions regulation.
The heat wrap is because the aftertreatment system actives fairly lubacris exhaust temps to function so it needs to be either well isolated or well insulated to avoid cooking stuff.
I design diesel engine installations for industrial equipment, farm machinery, and boats. Trying to keep enough heat in a Tier4/Stage5 engine exhaust is no joke, even if the ATD cans are just a few feet from the engine. Its hard to see exactly whats going on in the firetruck picture, but if that pipe is a long as it appears, and runs between the engine and the DOC, I would not be surprised if there was a superwool sleeve under the wrap, and maybe a ceramic coating on the pipe itself.
I have no idea what any of this means but it sounds super cool
https://youtu.be/4AYqeOyIdfY?si=tij2gHpXLrYXrwLy
Its an ostrich: The ostrich is the biggest bird in the world and lays the biggest egg.
And when it does, my does its arse stretch…….
oh wow, my town!
Someone tell Mercedes to get interested in fire trucks because then we will all have a chance to learn EVERYTHING about fire trucks. <3
A complete history dating back to how the cavemen put out fires. You should get a degree after reading one of her articles.
lol, too funny.
I may have attempted to purchase a fire truck more than once! Your wish is my command! 🙂
A local VW dealership had a lovely split-screen Type 2 fire truck (with its pump also powered by a VW flat-four engine) on display in their showroom but then inexplicably put it up for sale about three years ago:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1961-volkswagen-single-cab-transporter-firetruck/
Given your experiences with buying and importing kei cars, would it be possible for you to look into acquiring a kei fire truck? I’ve actually seen a small number of such fire trucks show up for sale on Facebook Marketplace over the years despite my typical lack of activity on FB.
If I might speak for some of us (actually, kind of a given as evidenced by the above comments and elsewhere) as well as myself, anything that you (& others on this website) write about fire trucks, whether they be American, Japanese, European, or any other nationality, would most certainly garner plenty of interest.
Yay!
RV conversion project in 3…2…1…
Seriously, Mercedes, think of the possibilities: That pump will eject your black water tank in SECONDS!
“Fire trucks may be the best-maintained vehicles you’re likely to encounter”
Ah, yeah, in 1975 my parents took me to an antique car show where the local fire department was showing a fire truck they had just retired from regular service the previous year; it was still nice and shiny despite being a 1934 model. Alas, I do not remember the make and model, as I was just a little kid and just starting to learn about such things, but I remember the dates because of how easy it was to calculate the length of the fire truck’s service, 1934 to 1974, which provided a nice round figure of 40 years. Not sure where it is now but I would occasionally see it in city parades into the 1990s.
Ha, the fire truck reading a giant book brings to mind the Codex Gigas, a medieval illuminated manuscript actually comparable in size. It was so large and heavy (just under a meter or some 36 inches tall and 75 kg or 165 pounds) that when it was being kept in a Swedish castle and a fire (!!) broke out in 1697 it was saved by being thrown out a window and reportedly landing on and injuring some poor schmuck (à la the hapless Max with the overfilled sacks of Xmas presents tossed by the Grinch.)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Codex_Gigas_facsimile.jpg/1280px-Codex_Gigas_facsimile.jpg
More information here, especially about the infamous illustration of the Devil:
https://www.kb.se/in-english/the-codex-gigas.html
Recently got the 1924 Graham Bros truck running for my volunteer department. Some of the paint and pinstriping is more recent, but the majority of it looks original. Pump still works, but the siren and emergency light are a work in progress. Otherwise it’s ready to go, could respond to calls right now.
Ha, the math is also easy with that one, a nice round figure of 100 years. Mighty cool! Any pictures online? Reporting on such a project would make for worthwhile reading, all right (paging DT, JT, and MS.)
https://www.cedarburgfiredept.com/antique-apparatus/
There are typos on that page. The Pirsch is a 1928, not 1924. These are the only pics online (at the moment…)
My neighbor up the driveway (a retired firefighter) has an old fire truck that he claims he has restored the pump on in addition to the rest of the unit. (He also has an early flat fender Jeep outfitted in WWII style w/ a deactivated 50 Cal machine gun mounted between the seats, rope looped over the front bumper, axe and shovel affixed to the sides).
he just unloaded a second fire truck a month or so ago, garnering more than a modicum of interest from the neighbors.
Must one mention the Changli now and then in order to maintain its business deduction status?
While reading this, I heard the Hans Zimmer classic “Show me Your Firetruck” from Backdraft (or Iron Chef if you’re so inclined) playing in my head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg1IjbIBXZQ
They were taking pictures of the Changli to preview the fire they expect to put out, sooner or later.
That statue is Pyronia, the goddess of firefighters. In ancient Greece, long before helmets and turnout gear, they would approach the fire with a shield in one hand and a bucket in the other. The hard part was flinging the water blindly and hoping hit the flames.
After many uses, the shields would sometimes bend in odd directions. Thus giving us Peyronies disease.
Bent Carrot syndrome to us ignorant dirt eaters here.
It’s the city seal and it’s Athena. https://www.townofchapelhill.org/government/newsroom/publications/town-logo
I like my answer better, so there! 😛
Your answer was a perfect Calvin’s Dad answer
All this, and Torch didn’t inquire about the reason for its breakdown? What kind of Investigative Journalist is he, anyway?
First blue fire engine I’ve seen. Beyond the normal red — not quite Rosso Corsa, but close — I’ve seen yellow, white, and light green engines. Breaks the monotony.
I’d suggest car repair shops hire only ex-FD mechanics. Have never seen any of my cars leave the shop so clean!
The two firefighters weren’t aware of what went wrong, and I left before the technician truck got there. Sorry!
Yes, inquiring minds want to know!! Maybe follow up for Monday’s Cold Start?
Sadly, Bill left his hot coffee in the cupholder prior to tilting the cab, leading to Bill having a looooong afternoon hosing things out.
And a safety meeting next week!
Start the paperwork…
Where I worked, we had an old Ford cab over truck. The driver had tilted the cab at the start of the shift for morning inspection. Apparently, he didn’t latch it adequately and when the got out on the street, the cab tilted up w/ 3 men inside, at the first stoplight.
The blue paint is just wild. I live in Klein Texas (actually an unincorporated area near Houston) and our fire department still uses the lime green paint that was briefly popular back in the 80’s. Would be fun to see more fire departments doing different colors! I know I know, visibility and all that… but would still be fun
It’s one of those weird ‘things you grew up with’ things, but I still think of that high-vis yellowgreen as the `right’ color for emergency vehicles and red the nostalgic, old-fashiondy color.
That is one hell of a turbo blanket on the exhaust. It looks like it starts at the hot section and continues all the way down. Interesting.
What is that in front of the cab? A book? Is it reading? Looks like it’s self-diagnosing, but doesn’t trust the Internet.
You got it — smart firetruck is reading its own repair manual!
Strong like truck – smart like streetcar!
It a Haynes.
Poor truck is pondering the classic “The installation is the reverse of removal” shortcut that Haynes loves.
Or the 4 pages of vehicle models that you don’t have
Dude! Tomorrow I am completing the practicals for basic pump operations on one of these. Next month I take the EVOC to start driving them. Our two engines and ladder are all Pierce tilt cabs. They vary in age, the oldest one is 30 years old and it’s hard to differentiate from the one purchased 10 years ago.
Good luck driving a giant truck at speed! Frankly I wanna learn EVOC driving techniques even though I won’t be driving things that require it. Or Racing theory like my dad took (he used to go to track days in a 90’s Corolla that could kick butt).
Heck yeah! Volunteer or career change?
Volunteer! I’m past my prime for a career change, dammit. Our department is a mix of full time and volunteer. It’s an awesome group of people. I just wish I got involved with public safety 20 years ago.
Retired FF here. Pierce is considered the Cadillac of fire trucks. We had a tilt cab such as the one pictured. You have to basically empty the cab of anything that will dislodge and go through the windshield when lifting the cab. One time we had an air pump under the cab in a run away condition. We had to urgently empty the cab so we could tilt it and disconnect the pump before it fried. Needless to say we were not fast enough and the pump burned up.(edit for spelling, which I suck at.)
That seems a bit nuts. Wasn’t there a fuse that could be pulled?
They should add a breaker in the cab that can be flipped in emergencies. Maybe on the back wall of the cab?
Pierces are great. Nothing like those KMEs which are for Keeping Mechanics Employed, amirite? Thank you, thank you been waiting years to have context to use that one……..
We had one KME truck. It was hated from the get go. It was a lifted four wheel drive grass truck. I drove it through some high water one day and toasted like three computers located on the underside of the truck…
And it has the optional ketchup and mustard attachments, which is nice.
Painting a fire engine light blue is like painting a police car orange.
Fort Worth’s are white, and actually look like police cars from back in the day.
https://www.piercemfg.com/customers/new-deliveries/fort-worth-fire-department-aerial-37502
That white is a nice look.
Well then you can’t miss em!
Yeah, right? Unlike most modern cruisers, done in all black with blackout ghost lettering that has ZERO reflectivity.
google “Toronto yellow police car”.
Ontario in general is weird for emergency vehicles.
Up to a few years ago:
Red flashing lights: fire, police & ambulance
Blue lights: police & snow plows
Recently they got “smarter”:
Red flashing lights: fire & police
Blue lights: police & ambulances
Purple lights: snow plows
I miss the old yellow cars. The police probably got a little tired of being hailed all the time though. The latest militaristic paint schemes are awful. I far prefer the high visibility dazzle used in other parts of the world. You need to be able to see a speeding police car on it’s doughnut run.
Where I grew up (far away and long ago), blue lights were volunteer firemen. Fire & ambulance were red, I think plows were orange.
That’s the town seal of Chapel Hill in the middle of the emblem depicting Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and protector of cities.
Beat me to it by seconds.
https://www.townofchapelhill.org/government/newsroom/publications/town-logo
Must’ve been the power shake I had for breakfast.
Troy would like a word
… and carrier of large eggs.
Right now, on some firefighting-enthusiast website, they’re talking about how Chance broke down their truck in the perfect spot to meet some guy and his crazy little Chinese electric car.
I believe this is a fire engine, not a fire truck. Fire engines have pumps, tanks, and hoses. Fire trucks have ladders.
There may be regional differences, but I believe that all fire equipment is called apparatus. Apparatus that pumps is an engine (referring to the pump, not motive power) and the apparatus that has ladders is a ladder truck. Around here, firefighters also call away we think of an ambulance, an aid car.
We used to have a fire captain here who would sit in on development meetings and remind architects that he needs access to all sides of a building for fire fighting. When they started asking about dimensions, turning radius, load bearing pavement requirements, etc. he usually started with “We have really big trucks.” I miss that guy.
WOW, I never knew firetrucks were tilt cabs!
Well would you expect 2 guys to crawl in through the grill to fix something?
This not my wading into the endless university rivalry wankery, but I find Carolina blue soooooo boring. It looks okay here, but it lacks saturation, it has no depth. It’s the color of a sweatshirt you wear when you’re painting your living room and don’t really care it’s going to get stained and gross. It’s the tan of blues.
You must really hate looking up on a nice day.
That’s sky blue, not this extra faded Carolina blue. I happen to agree with him. It might look good in these sky, but it does not look great here.