JACKSON, MI - Blackman Township's original 1946 pumper truck wasn't the gem of the fire department. It was cold to drive in the winter, as the box heater inside didn't do much and the windshield wipers weren't reliable. In the summer, the method of "air conditioning" was tilting out the windshield via a mechanical crank.
The red 1946 Chevrolet fire truck was built in Detroit. It became Blackman Township's original pumper when it started its fire department in 1946.
Decommissioned in 1976, the truck was purchased that year for less than $1,000 by Keith Johncox in Onsted. It sat in storage and occasionally made it to a local parade.