Humphreys Park
Fire Truck
In the 1950’s the city of Linton purchased a red 1947 Mack fire truck built by American-LaFrance. The truck was purchased at a cost of $17,581 during the time that Robert McFadden was mayor. The design of the truck was based upon performance, utility, appearance, and life service.
The Federal Law mandates that fire departments update their trucks every 20 years. The city then decided to replace the truck with a new model in 1973; however, they could not sell the old one because of its age. Consequently, the department donated the red 1947 Mack fire truck to Humphreys Park in Linton.
One disadvantage of the 1973 fire truck was that all of the firemen could not fit inside the cab. A few of them would have to hang on to the back or side of the truck while it was in motion. This could be very dangerous when the truck was traveling at high speeds to get to a fire. The truck was a chartreuse; this yellowish-green color was considered to be easier to be seen than the red. However, some residents were never convinced that chartreuse increased its visibility in traffic.
On October 29, 1996, the city purchased a new fire truck, which replaced the 23-year-old truck. The new fire truck is blue and white, which is equipped with state-of-art technology. The cab is full size so all of the firemen can fit into it. Federal regulations now require all fire personnel to be inside the vehicle when traveling on the highway.
The 1974 chartreuse fire truck was taken to the park where it replaced the 1947 red Mack, which had become too dangerous on which the children could play. The 1974 truck was parked under an open shelter house, built especially for displaying the fire truck. The old 1947 fire truck was then used as scrap materials for repairing other antique fire trucks.
The residents appreciate the donation from the fire department to the park. The children and even the parents get a thrill playing on the truck and pretending that they are a part of the fire rescue team.
The truck has recently been removed from the city park but its legacy has lived on in the hearts of all the children who played on the old firetrucks.
This information was used with permission from the Linton-Stockton School Corporation.
