MARTINSVILLE - A bright red, 20-foot-long time machine is sitting in the garage at the Martinsville Fire and EMS Department. In late September, the fire department reintroduced Engine 2, a 1934 American LaFrance fire engine. According to Fire Chief Ted Anderson, it was the third motorized fire engine ever pressed into service in the city of Martinsville.
For decades, Anderson said, Engine 2 helped keep the citizens of Martinsville safe. Now that it has been brought back to life, that goal remains the same, although it won’t be spotted at the scenes of any fires. Instead, it will be used as an educational tool.
Area residents might have spotted Engine 2 at Oktoberfest last Saturday, or they might have seen it at MHC Public Safety Day in uptown Martinsville on Sept. 28. Wherever it goes, Anderson said, it draws a crowd both young and old.
At MHC Public Safety Day, Anderson said, “the kids loved it. I heard that bell ring so many times, my head’s still ringing. The interest around the station and from the public has just been overwhelming, and that’s a good thing.”
While people are checking out the fire engine, Anderson said, it presents an opportunity for the department to talk to them about fire safety, teach them what fire fighters do, and ask if they have checked their smoke alarms recently.
“We try to take advantage of any tool we have that catches people’s attention,” he said.
The 1934 American LaFrance is definitely an attention-grabber, and an example of how much fire fighting technology has changed over the 82 years since it was built.