The Pilot Point Fire Department is adding some history to the apparatus bay with help from the community.
Restore the Rig saw Pilot Pointers gather at The American Legion for a live auction whose proceeds will go toward the restoration of an antique fire truck from 1942.
'Obviously, we’re not going to get it back to pumping water and taking EMS calls,” PPFD Chief Heath Hudson said. “It probably wouldn’t be up to standards anymore. It was part of our original history back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, so we’re trying to raise funds to help us refurbish that and bring back part of our history for use as a parade and special events truck.”
He explained the truck, once refurbished, will make appearances at community events like Trunk or Treat and Christmas on the Square.
“It’s part of our history,” Patti Dellenbaugh, who help to organize the auction, said. “I remember when I was a kid, the Miss Flame contestants would have ridden in that truck, and our kids are missing out on all that.”
Hudson said the department knew it would take some work to get the rig running again and didn’t plan to spend budget dollars on the project, which led them to the idea of a fundraiser.
“We’re just thankful to people like Steve and Jamie Irick, Patty and Steve Dellenbaugh and the American Legion for stepping up and putting this together to help us raise funds for something like this that we don’t have a budget for,” Hudson said.
Items for the live auction were all donated by local businesses and residents.
“You just ask people if they want to donate, and when you tell them what it’s for, they’re more than willing,” Dellenbaugh said. “A lot of businesses donated money instead of items. We did not want to do a silent auction because of space mostly. We just wanted some big, nice items and everyone came through.”
The truck itself was donated by George Tobolowsky in Mountain Springs, who’d had it sitting in has pasture since the ‘80s, after Jerry Wells approached him about it.
“When he got there that day, I said, ‘George, what are you going to do with that fire truck, because I know someone who would probably want that thing,’ and he said, ‘Well, call them, they can have it,’” Wells said. “Within 20 minutes he texts me saying I’ll get a call, and it was the fire chief. I just saw it and finally said, ‘Don’t let this thing rot.’”
Hudson gave an update on the current progress of the rig, though could not give details.
“We don’t have a timeline or a clue what it’s going to cost,” Hudson said. “The guys at this point have taken the tires and rims off of it, and we’re working to get those replaced now. Then we’re starting work on the internal parts.”
Seeing the donations come in before the event, followed by a packed house at the Legion, Hudson said he felt blessed to be connected to such a service-minded community.
“Something amazing about this community is they always step up and help and have always been amazing supporters of the fire department, and they’ve done the same thing here today,” Hudson said. “It’s humbling. It’s fantastic the support we have from our community, and I hope it’s a reflection of the service we provide to them.'
