Seasons and Discoveries

It's been ages since I've posted, and I apologize.

There's been a lot of change in our family, which I won't drag you through, but it has led to some shifting priorities.

Engine 17 has been moved to a new facility and is now in Tacoma again, and is stored indoors, which is fantastic.  But due to all of the aforementioned events, I have not had a chance to do really any work on her in years.  But she made the 2.5 hour run up to Tacoma no problem, she just runs like a champ!

Backstory.... back in 2015 I became a map editor for the mobile GPS app Waze, mainly to improve the map in my old fire district.  All editors are volunteers, but there is a progressive structure and hierarchy, and I've advanced (not always willingly) to the role of Washington State Co-Manager as of last fall.

In this role, after cleaning up the counties near where I live, I've been working to extensively review and clean up Pierce County since late last summer, and I'll probably be at it for over a year yet in my spare time, but as part of this process I ran across the Tacoma Fire Garage in the course of my work, and while looking at the aerial imagery there, something.... caught my eye.

Well now..... what's this?

I know Tacoma still owns a couple of older pieces, and have heard they have one of the 1970 sisters as well, though I've never seen it.  But here's an obviously aged rig by virtue of the color fade, with a distinctive single emergency light on top.  Could it be?  Let's check Google Earth.

Is that what I think it is?

There, on the left, is what I am pretty sure is one of the sisters.  Tacoma did own other similar ALF pumpers over the years, I think there were four 1964 Type 900s, and there were two 1976 Century's with Squrts on them, along with four ALF aerials.  But I don't remember ever seeing the 1964 rigs after in the 80's.  Tacoma has assumed fire protection for Fife and Fircrest in the intervening years, and assumed ownership of their rigs.  I don't think Fircrest had an ALF.  I don't know what Fife had. Fircrest was in 1995, and I think Fife was later, late enough that I don't think Tacoma would have taken a rig of that vintage in the process, let alone kept it all this time.  Thus, there's just not too many other options for what this could be.

That's a strong resemblance

As an aside, the ghost image on the right here above was caused by another rig being parked next to the ALF during some of the aerial imagery side-view camera passes but gone on others, so when the imagery was magically melded together you ended up with a ghost pumper.

Anyway, here she is, whatever it is.  It doesn't quite look 100% right, the bright coloring on the side towards the rear, but the cab configuration, the ladder rack (I'm told hydraulic ladder racks in 1970 were very rare), and even what looks like the old company number placard holder on the nose all looks spot on.  This imagery is less than a year old, so maybe this rig is just there all the time.

I'm hoping to get up to Tacoma soon despite the stay-at-home orders (don't worry I won't visit anyone!) to see if I can get some confirmation.

In the meantime, if you'd like to tour the Tacoma Fire Garage through Google Earth and check it out for yourself, just click here.

Interesting stuff.

Stay safe and healthy out there.