Many Willys trucks released by the factory as pickups or "stripped chassis" trucks (see Willys-Overland Production Figures) were converted into fire engines by apparatus manufacturers including:
Some of these trucks, particularly those built by Howe and General, were sold through Willys dealers as Willys "Commando" Fire Trucks. The other conversions seen here show a variety of designs unique to their builders.
This truck built by Valley Fire Truck in Bay City, Michigan, is titled as a 1959, but the serial number 55168 25501 indicates it was produced by Willys as a cab and chassis with 6-226 engine in 1962.
It has been sold several times since its retirement, and is now back in Michigan, complete with original owner's manual and pump documentation, in the collection of Ron Hattner. Ron says it was originally in service in Riverton, Wyoming, where the 500 GPM Darley front mount pump once pumped 13 days straight, with the engine running at 2000 RPM, while fighting a major wildfire.
See more photos and details of this rare Valley Fire Truck.
This 1956 unit produced by W.S. Darley & Company of Chicago is a fairly basic conversion of a Willys pickup truck, without the more specialized body work found on the Willys Commando trucks. It has a 500 GPM pump and 150 gallon booster tank. The spare tire suggests it might have been intended for a rural department, although it does not appear to have suction hose mounted in this factory photo supplied by Steve Hagy. Steve reports that the rig was in fact delivered to A.C.F. Industries of Buffalo, New York.
The right side photo (50K JPEG) shows ladder and pike mounted in the usual location.
This 1954 Willys with 6,800 original miles now belongs to Lynn Krodel in Indiana. The builder's plate indicates that W. S. Darley, Inc. of Melrose Park, Illinois is the manufacture of the engine and the pump. It was originally in service with the fire department in Lake Villa, Illinois, and was photographed while it was part of the Historic Civilian Jeeps Collection in Colorado.
As of 2007, Lynn says, "I am adding more restorations to this honorable fire engine. When finished it will be fully restored, fully equipped and operational to respond to a fire alarm! I have used it at Patoka Lake Reservoir here in Dubois County, Indiana three times. I am a Firefighter for the Indiana DNR. One of my responsibilities is a Public Relations Officer. This Engine is used as part of Wildland Firefighting displays at the Wickcliff Recreation Area of the Reservoir, and was available for fire suppression when I had it at the Lake for my public relations assignments."
The Oren Roanoke Corporation of Roanoke, Virginia built fire apparatus from 1940 to 1980 when it was absorbed by Grumman, according to information from the Virginia Museum of Transportation, where this 1955 pumper is displayed. One of two manufactured for General Electric, it was delivered to the GE plant in Salem, Virginia in December 1955. It has a Ven Pelt pump that delivers 400 GPM at 120 pounds pressure, and carries six CO2 extinguishers on each side of the truck.
Photographer Steve Hagy says, "This photo was taken in the late 70's, and I haven't seen this one since! It's really sharp."
Thornville, Ohio No. 3 was a 1956 Willys with a 500 GPM pump from American Fire Apparatus of Battle Creek, Michigan (also referred to as Barton-American Fire Pump Co.) The design with overhead ladder and hose rack resembles the Universal Jeep Fire Engines more than most of the Willys truck configurations.
This truck is marked "Kingston Fire District". According to the National Geographic atlas, there are 16 places named Kingston in the United States, and several more in Canada, the U.K. and elsewhere around the world. But this may be Kingston, Ohio -- the design shows some similarities to the Thornville OH unit above, and Ken Buchanan who found this photo, says this truck was "built either by American Marsh in Stratford, Ontario or by Barton American in the USA."
Newport Township Fire Protection District
in Wadsworth IL bought its first fire truck from W.S. Darley & Co. in 1947, but when they added a new 1955 Willys Jeep truck for brushfire protection (above, left) it was apparently bought from Harris Motors in Winthrop Harbor IL and converted by a company called Grayslake Fire Truck Company in Grayslake IL.
In response to an inquiry about that company from The CJ3B Page, the Grayslake Historical Society provided this information: "Kenneth Poehler, a blacksmith in Grayslake, made two fire trucks for the Grayslake Fire Department. He was in business from 1945 to probably the late 1950's. The Grayslake Municipal Historical Museum has one of the two fire trucks. It was built in 1954 and was built on a Chevy chassis."
Newport's Willys brush truck was later replaced by a 1969 Dodge Power Wagon, but has been restored for use in parades (50K JPEG).
Gene Kelso sent this photo he grabbed some time ago. He didn't have a chance to get any further information; does anybody recognize this distinctive truck, or have a guess as to who built it? It has some similarities to the AFA truck seen above.
Here's another truck with an overhead equipment rack, possibly from Valley Fire Truck, seen at Willys America, the Willys truck specialists in Cazadero, California. Bill Brennan took these photos of Willys fire engines among the vehicles on display at their 2001 Open House. See a front view photo (30K JPEG). See also an 1952 open cab truck retired from the Mountain Creek FD and a 1955 hardtop truck (60K JPEG) inside the garage.
A 1950 Willys pickup (70K JPEG), photographed by Jim Allen in the Historic Civilian Jeeps Collection, was one of the first Willys vehicles to be fitted with the new F-head engine. This gray pickup with only 1600 miles on the odometer belonged to the La Veta Fire Protection District in Colorado and is now part of the Marski collection.
See also a photo of the volunteer fire brigade at the Schaefer Brewing Co. in Brooklyn, NY, carrying hose and extinguishers in a Wagon (70K JPEG), from a 1954 Willys Advertisement in Fortune Magazine.
Thanks to Steve Hagy, Mike Winchester, Ted Robinette, Bill Brennan, Rodger Birchfield, Adriaan Kriek and Gary Dreyer. -- Derek Redmond
See also a Willys truck that served as Jeep 33 of the Toronto Islands.
Return to Fire Service Jeeps on The CJ3B Page.
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