Saturday, November 15, 2008

West End Fire And Rescue’s 1947 Buick Ambulance

On this date in history the only major event to occur in the Shippensburg area was in 2004, that incident was posted last year. I have not finished the last few years so I will detail another rig today.

This ambulance was the West End Fire and Rescue Company's first and their second piece of equipment. It was purchased for the company by the management of the Walnut Dale Speedway in August 1956 for standby purposes at the track. The speedway purchased the unit from a Physician in Lancaster, Pa. The unit was painted red and operated by the company until it was replaced with a 1948 Cadillac in 1957. The company sold the unit to East Waterford Fire Company.

I would love to tell you more but unfortunately that is all I know. The photographs are the only ones I have ever seen of the rig, one was taken from a News Chronicle article; the other I made from a converted 8 mm film of the unit.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Photographs are like that ... they speak the words for us that we don't know ourselves. There is nothing more captivating or though invoking than an old photograph from the places we live and know well.

Anonymous said...

Brad;

If memory serves me correctly, you might want to take a look at the photo albums upstairs at 15 squad. I know there are pictures of the old squad and amubulance at Walnut Dale Speedway in that collection.
Dad in MN

Brad Myers said...

You may be right Jeff but if there is then I missed it a few years back when we were getting ready for the anniversary. That is a photo we would have used for sure.

Hope you are taking care of Crawford and staying out of trouble.

Anonymous said...

TAKING CARE OF CRAWFORD: DOING MY BEST. STAYING OUT OF TROUBLE.... YOU PROBABLY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.