Detroit firefighters are raising money for something they hope never to use: a hearse to carry fallen comrades.
The vehicle is a 1937 Seagrave Sedan pumper that a 76-year-old Bay City man, Jimmie Dobson, recently donated to the Detroit Firemen's Fund Association.
"I was very happy to help them out," said Dobson, who collects fire trucks as a hobby. "At my age, it's time for me to start unloading some of my collection."
Now, the association needs money to refurbish the rig.
"It's something that would be really nice in a bad situation," said Detroit Fire Battalion Chief Edward Smith III.
Smith and other firefighters from Detroit and Windsor gathered in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue at Woodward and Jefferson on Thursday and asked passersby to "fill the boot" with donations. Thedrive will continue today at the same location. The Detroit Fire Department band will provide entertainment.
Ernie Nowicki, a sergeant and president of the Firemen's Fund, said he hopes the rig is up and running within a year, after it is refurbished and approved for use as a hearse for firefighters from Michigan and Windsor. The Detroit Fire Department originally bought the vehicle for $13,000 and put it into service in 1937 as Engine 13. It was sold for scrap 30 years later for $401.
Dobson said he bought the rig about 20 years ago from a museum in Harbor Beach. He said he's got the largest collection of fire trucks in Michigan and is building a new museum for them outside of Bay City.
Since the DFD was founded in 1867, after volunteers fought fires for decades, about 178 men have died in the line of duty. (Records are imprecise.) In recent years, their bodies were carried on the back of working fire rigs, often the ones they rode to fires. "Money is the key issue," Nowicki said. "A lot of us are digging into our own pockets to make this happen."
For more information on the Seagrave, log on to www.detroitfiremensfund.com
