FIRE TRUCK DRAWING INTEREST, NOSTALGIA

JACKSON, Mo. -- Surrounded by sedans, trucks and mini-vans, the 1982 Seagrave with a 300-horsepower diesel engine seems out of place in a used car lot.

"Everything on it works," said salesman Jay Smith of Bening Motor Co., "but it probably wouldn't qualify as a fire truck to work in Cape Girardeau or Jackson."

John Bening, the lot's owner, bought the Oklahoma fire truck at an auction about two months ago, Smith said.

"He thought he could make a little profit from it," the salesman said.

A little nostalgia and the cost of a new fire engine generally keep the old models around, say area firefighters.

The life of an old fire truck is fairly predictable, said Brad Golden, Jackson fire chief. They are often sold to smaller, rural fire departments that respond to fewer emergencies. Otherwise, they move into reserve status as their service life nears an end.

When the Jackson Fire Department goes shopping for new trucks, it doesn't buy used, Golden said.

"Generally, it's a bid process among several makers of fire trucks," Golden said. "We try to look at what the community needs and balance that against National Fire Protection Association certifications."

The Jackson Fire Department's last vehicle purchase was a 1998 Pierce pumper for $228,000. The ladder, or "snorkel" truck, is a 1981 model.

The newest truck made the department's 1969 pumper unnecessary for day-to-day needs, so it was leased to the Gordonville Fire Department.

All working fire trucks are tested annually by third-party laboratories to make sure they meet National Fire Protection Association guidelines, Golden said.

If someone wanted to buy a used fire truck, checking its service record would not be hard.

"The paperwork from these tests follows a truck for its whole life," Golden said.

Fred Vincel may not have all the paperwork for his 1931 LaFrance fire engine, but he knows its history.

A black and white photograph in Cape Girardeau Fire Chief Dan White's office shows the engine loaded with firefighters about to respond to a call in Cape Girardeau. Vincel, a fire department battalion chief, points out two men in the photograph who died within the last two years. Another man pictured now has a son fighting fires, Vincel said.

When the truck left the fire department in 1968, it was purchased by the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. After the motor blew up, the truck sat behind old Marquette School at 2815 S. Sprigg St. for years until another firefighter bought it.

Vincel, a collector of antique cars for years, traded a 1955 Chevrolet for the old fire truck.

"They were the Cadillac of the fire trucks, made in Elmyra, New York," Vincel said. "It is really about 1910 technology, since it's chain-driven."

Since then, Vincel found another 1931 LaFrance in Lawrence, Kan., for $4,000. He and a former Jackson firefighter bought it for the parts, hoping to restore the other truck.

Vincel was surprised when he found out his two fire trucks have consecutive serial numbers.

"It means they probably came off the assembly line, one after the other," he said. "It doesn't make them any more valuable, but it's kind of neat."

Vincel would like to restore the Cape Girardeau engine sometime within the next 10 years, before he retires. It's a matter of finding the time and the parts.

"It's unusual to find an old fire engine intact," he said. "Somebody will take the bell, the siren or whatever else comes off. Then you have to replace them."

Many items, including the bell, were recovered from the fraternity that owned the fire truck, Vincel said.

Older, smaller fire engines become collectable for practical reasons, Vincel said. It is hard to find a place to store a large truck.

Trucks with open cabs have more appeal, too.

"They reflect more of the nostalgia of the fire service," said Vincel, who collects helmets and other firefighting memorabilia.

Golden doesn't see a collector's market for fire trucks built in the last 30 years.

"Nowadays, they're pretty well worn out when you're done with them," he said.

The 1982 Seagrave at Bening Motor Co. has generated many inquires, but only a few with serious intentions. If someone does buy the truck, Smith said, it will have to be a collector.

The old engine with a 100-foot ladder hasn't been completely useless since it has been in Jackson. Not too long ago, it was part of a boy's birthday party, the car salesman said.

"They took it out and let the children climb all over it and look around," Smith said.