SARCOXIE, Mo. — Sarcoxie firefighters are working to breathe new life into a 69-year-old piece of history.
Members of the Sarcoxie City Fire Department are raising funds to restore their 1950 Ford model firetruck to its original glory. The goal is to raise $50,000 from the community over the next few years.
Sarcoxie city fire Chief Andy Sivils said the department has taken it upon itself to campaign for the funds, since there’s currently no room in the budget for such an endeavor.
“The big thing for me, I’m seeing a lot more camaraderie and morale that’s really coming around this truck,” Sivils said. “That’s the big reason why I’ve supported it more than anything. It’s making people work together more, and they’re really getting around one common goal, which is always good in a group.”
The single engine features a 500-gallon-per-minute pump and two original wooden ladders on the sides. The antique, which is nicknamed “The 50,” is often driven for special community events such as the city's annual Christmas parade, but the department hopes to use it more in the future.
“It’s a really cool old truck, and the guys have decided to fix it up to use in parades other than ours,” said Elizabeth Sivils, public information officer for the Sarcoxie Fire Department. “We can use it as a PR tool, and they really want to get it back into full working order. It can’t be used on a fire scene, but we can use it to teach people about the history of firetrucks.”
The truck has been part of the city for a majority of its life, if not all of it, the chief said. He believes the community will step up and lend a hand to help renovate the vehicle.
“It’s in every Christmas parade in Sarcoxie, and they always have Santa Claus ride on it,” he said. “The public does respond to it. About three or four years ago, there were brake issues and it wasn’t able to make the parade. The public definitely noticed it wasn’t there, and we got multiple comments.”
He recalled a time when he drove the truck when he first joined the department in the 1990s.
“It was a front-line engine until they quit using it about 25 to 30 years ago,” he said. “It’s been kept around for parades and things like that. … I operated that truck when I started in 1997. We would still mess with it then — pump it and train with it. It’s a whole lot different than the newer apparatus that we use.”
The classic is operable but is in need of some repairs. In addition to needing a new coat of paint, the truck’s water tank has a hole in it, and the vintage wooden ladders need to be stripped down and restored as well.
“They’re planning on restoring some of it themselves, if they can, and I believe they’ll use a local body shop to repaint it,” Andy Sivils said. “We’ll also use a local graphics shop to re-letter it. It will be a combination of local businesses plus their own time."
For a firetruck that’s nearly 70 years old, he said, "it’s in really good shape, but the condition they hope to get it into, there’s a lot to do.”
Sarcoxie firefighters will kick off their first fundraiser for the restoration with a chili supper from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, in the community building. Meals will be $5, and all proceeds will go toward the “50 Fund.” The group will discuss its plans for the truck and have it parked outside of the community building. The project is solely department-supported, not department-funded. More fundraisers will be announced later in the year.
To donate: The Sarcoxie City Fire Department is collecting donations for the restoration project. Donations can be sent to Sarcoxie City Hall, earmarked or noted as “50 Fund."
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