The New Castle Fire Department never anticipated having to learn to decipher Nepali. Last month, the city fire department bid final farewell to Engine 2404 as the 1986 truck was taken to be delivered to its next crew, a department in Kathmandu, Nepal.
On behalf of his Pittsburgh-based nonprofit Soarway Foundation and the Fire Station Project, luxury watchmaker Michael Kobold visited the South Margaret Street station to personally pick up the retired truck.
According to Kobold, the Soarway Foundation was originally created in 2015 to reduce risk and better prepare the landlocked Himalayan country in the event of a natural disaster. Soarway's efforts in Nepal are led by U.S ambassador Scott S. DeLisi.
Kobold's Fire Station Project is an effort in conjunction with the Soarway Foundation.
Known for his expert watchmaking, Kobold is a Carnegie Mellon University graduate whose timepieces have attracted celebrities like explorer Ralnulph Fiennes, former president Bill Clinton and late Sopranos star James Gandolfini. Kobold Expedition Tools is inspired by Kobold's love for traveling and mountain climbing, in particular.
When Kobold's wife was unresponsive during the couple's second scaling of Mount Everest, two Nepali sherpas came to her rescue, saving her life. Out of gratitude, Kobold taught the sherpas watchmaking and opened a Kobold Watch Company facility in the Kathmandu Valley, hoping the men could continue to provide for their families and leave their dangerous jobs of mountaineering behind.