Editor’s note: A story as told to Ron Heal by his friend and retired Elgin (IL) Fire Department firefighter John Tobin. Tobin was on the job for 34 years. He also worked with the Seagrave organization on his days off.
Fire service tradition runs deep. There are those who strive and pass on these traditions to those who follow. Some things should never die. This certainly applies to the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) cab restorations described in this feature.
With enough patience and time, we can revive these almost-human machines. The “click clack” of the warning lights become like a beating heart. The red lights flashing in rhythm is mimicking breathing. The restoration takes on a personality of its own. If the cab could only talk, it would tell stories of countless fires, cold winter nights, and finally the silence of a junkyard where they will be sent to the melting pot. To be able to preserve a little piece of history for future generations is truly a special undertaking.
People have asked John Tobin, retired Elgin (IL) firefighter, why he goes through so much pain, dragging what looks like a piece of junk out of a junkyard, soliciting the help of others to renew it, only to give it away.
Others say it is just another needless expenditure of energy. After 9/11, it finally dawned on him that he was acting out. He had not rid himself of the grief he suffered when three of his childhood idols died working for his dad’s fire department so long ago. To this day, Tobin can see them being hauled out in body bags from the basement of the Ben Franklin Five and Dime Store in Palatine, Illinois. Not only were the deaths of the three firefighters tragic, but the guilt, sorrow, and the baggage still being carried are almost as tragic as the loss of life. Tobin saw what the deaths did to his father. He wanted to somehow comfort those in New York who had lost so much that September day.
The Rebirth of a Workhorse
Heading up to the Seagrave factory in Clintonville, Wisconsin, a fire chief friend insisted that they stop at a junkyard after Tobin had mentioned that there were several old FDNY aerial ladder units waiting to be scrapped out. The former FDNY rigs had been at Highway Truck Parts in New London, Wisconsin, for several years. The site was pitiful. An old workhorse SL8018 sat waiting for its final fate. The windshields, motor, aerial ladder, wheels, and tires were long gone. The hubs dug into the ground where the end loader had dropped the remains off. Looking into the cab from the front, Tobin could almost hear the sounds of a big city—the radio traffic of the rigs responding all those years ago. He wondered where the firefighters who broke the rig in back in 1981 were now, the ones that operated the rig, pounding down the streets of New York—the busiest fire department in the world.
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Posted: Aug 29, 2025
You know, I went on vacation for one week—just one week—and I come back to find out that a class action lawsuit has been filed by a midwestern town against three OEMs and an industry association. The lawsuit contends that the four entities have been conspiring and that where we are right now with lead times and costs is a result of their getting together. Now, I’m sure there will be those out there who disagree with me completely on this, but I really think it’s time that we all step back, take a deep breath, and really look at the situation and how we landed here.
Fire departments across the country are frustrated, and they have every right to be. It’s taking what feels like forever to get a fire truck right now. We are used to getting a new rig in 18 or so months after placing the order. We are used to paying a lot less for them than we are right now. It is rough out there. Small fire departments that are already stretching their front-line fire apparatus as far as they possibly can while remaining compliant with applicable standards—and many times, by necessity, not being compliant—are looking at apparatus costs and wondering how they will update their small fleets. Larger departments that have pretty set replacement cycles are just now taking delivery of orders placed three years ago. It’s not easy, and it has required fire departments to adapt across the board.
We know that the federal government has gotten involved and also, of course, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). There have been various media reports covering what is happening, and in some cases these reports have painted a picture that connects dots that are not really there.
Amidst all of this, Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment has been following this topic and recently worked with the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association (FAMA) to provide more insight into why the situation is the way it is. Some might think that we are both in cahoots with the manufacturers so, of course, we’re going to claim this, that, and the other thing. But that’s not what these articles are about. Where we are right now is not the result of one singular event. Coming out of the COVID-19 Pandemic, a confluence of factors rolled together to bring us to where we are today. My ask is that you take a look at what we’ve put together with an open mind. It likely will not satisfy everyone, but there’s a lot more to all this than meets the eye.
As you move into your next purchasing phase, try to set aside all the noise you’re hearing and take a look at the following resources we’ve compiled:
Remember, consolidation happens in every market, and while some apparatus manufacturer consolidation is getting a lot of attention, there are other areas in the fire service market where consolidation has occurred—and you might not even realize where.
My hope is that we can all take a minute and check into many of the reasons we are where we’re at. If you disagree, I’m OK with that. But, at least take a look at the
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