FIRE STATION SERVED DIFFERENT SIZE TRUCKS

It is quite apparent that the size and height of our fire station on the west side of the City Hall complex was designed for vehicles of an earlier era. The new fire station presently being erected will have more than adequate room to accommodate the size of fire trucks today. We’ll pen a couple of Fire Department articles for our readers these two weeks.

Previously, as fire trucks wore out, newer and bigger ones replaced them. Getting them to fit inside our fire station through the years proved more difficult each time. No, they didn’t have to let the air out of the tires to get the trucks inside, but it has been quite apparent that the 1933-built fire station has served its purpose and it’s time for a larger facility. The problem has not been a recent one, either. Originally, there were three arched openings designed for three trucks. The three arches were removed in the early 1950s to accommodate the larger trucks. Two rectangular-shaped openings replaced them, as they appear today.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present a peculiar photo, comparing a 1920s-era fire pumper truck (left) used at the time our fire station was built, with a newer bigger one (right) purchased in 1953. Compare the size of the two trucks. The old 1,000-gallon-per-minute pumper was originally purchased in February, 1923 for $13,000. It was used full-time until 1948, and was retired in 1953 when the truck on the right was purchased.

This June, 1956 photo shows the old 1923 pumper being wheeled out for the last time, after a final clean-up and inspection. It was purchased by the Cement City VFW for the sum of $300. Notice the two rectangular-shaped openings in the fire station.

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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