Thompson currently owns a 1978 Ford F-700 firetruck pumper unit that’s all-original, unrestored and still pumps. He previously owned a firetruck for about 13 years, but he sold it due to how much work it required. Eventually, though, seller’s remorse started to kick in.

“I missed having a firetruck so much that I realized I had to get another one,” said Thompson. “It’s just a blast. It’s just stupid, crazy fun.”

Thompson, a retired General Motors Co. engineer, bought his latest firetruck on eBay from a collector in Flint in 2015. Before that, the truck had a long career that spanned multiple states and fire departments.

Although he’s still researching the truck’s history, Thompson said he has determined that the firetruck was purchased brand-new in 1978 by a fire department in Pennsylvania, and then it moved on to a fire department in Missouri. It made its way to Sedan, Kansas, in the mid-to-late ’90s, where it stayed in service until 2013. 

"If we do get a tsunami, worst-case scenario, the station gets wiped out," said Kodiak Fire Dept. Chief James Mullican. "The building itself is unreinforced cinderblock walls, stuff of that nature. We're in a highly seismic area, so the concern is, if we get a good shaker, the building could collapse."

Mullican said the station was built in stages, beginning in the 1950's. The infrastructure also sustained significant damage during the earthquake in January of 2018 which was initially reported as magnitude-8.2 by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Today, the building's age shows.

"Multiple leaks through the roof," Mullican said. "Tarps up to protect gear."