By Alan M. Petrillo

The Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting in Phoenix, Arizona, celebrated its 60th anniversary last year by inducting the restored Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Rescue 4 truck that was almost completely ruined when it responded to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The restored rescue is now part of the Museum’s permanent collection.

In 2017 Robert Allen, formerly of FDNY Engine 232, purchased the 1996 FDNY HME Saulsbury Rescue 4 rig and two years later donated it to the Hall of Flame Museum under the condition that it would never be used for anything but a museum display. At the time when Rescue 4 responded to the World Trade Center on 9/11, it carried a crew of eight firefighters, all of whom died when the towers collapsed.

Mark Anello of Fountain Hills, Arizona, who was instrumental with Rick Stuve of Phoenix in restoring Rescue 4 for the Museum, says the rig was stationed in Queens when the World Trade Center call came in. “Rescue 1 ran out of Manhattan and was totally destroyed, while Rescue 2 came out of Brooklyn and was so badly damaged it had to be cut up and destroyed,” Anello says. “Rescue 3 from Bronx and Rescue 4 from Queens survived and went into a spare pool for about eight years, while Rescue 5 from Staten Island went to haz mat.”

Anello, who served nine years as a volunteer firefighter in the Franklin Square (NY) Fire Department, as a dispatcher is Nassau County (NY), and later as a Colorado corrections officer and highway patrolman, notes that when the Museum got Rescue 4, the restoration had been started on the truck, but there was still a lot to be done. “It didn’t have any doors on it,” he pointed out. “The Remembrance Project in Chicago got the two cab doors and one crew door from Rescue 3, which had been scrapped, and we were able to use them on Rescue 4. Then we had Rescue 4 repainted, re-striped, and had the logos hand-painted on the rear.”

Stuve, who served 20 years as a volunteer firefighter with the Massapequa Fire Department, has an affinity for working with vehicles. “I’m a nuts and bolts guy and was able to get some warning lights donated by various venders,” Stuve says. “We wanted to restore Rescue 4 to how it was as it responded to the World Trade Center that day. Whelen gave us all the strobe and warning lights to replace the damaged ones on the truck.”

Stuve credits Anello with getting all the painting and body work done on Rescue 4. “There are the origi

E-ONE—Charlotte County Fire & EMS, Punta Gorda, FL, stainless steel walk-around rescue; Cyclone medium cab and chassis; Cummins X12 500-hp engine; Onan 15-kW generator; 25-foot, 6-inch rescue body. Dealer: Steve Kern, REV RTC, Ocala, FL.

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Council officials recently approved the Metchosin (B.C., Canada) Fire Department spending C$100,000 to buy a new truck to replace the broken-down current Battallion 1 truck, reports vancouverislandfreedaily.com.

An accident caused damage to the apparatus, but repairs wouldn’t make financial sense—and it was scheduled to be replaced in 2022 regardless, the report says.

The department has been using other municipal vehicles, such as the building inspector’s truck, but they’re not up to standards.

Council reassigned capital funding from the 2021 budget to allow the fire department to start looking for a suitable vehicle immediately, the report says. Given the approved price range, the department has been eyeing a Ford F-150.

Council’s decision comes with an amendment saying that $80,000 will be spent on the initial cost with the rest going toward equipment.

Department staff aims to find the best deal for John Q. Taxpayer with regards to insurance claims on the old apparatus.

After closing in 2012, the Chartley (MA) fire station reopened on Friday—possibly only temporarily, though.

Norton Fire – Rescue was able to reopen the facility thanks to a $1,034,197 SAFER grant, which will pay the salaries and benefits for three firefighters for three years. The only cost to the town will be gear and equipment.

“Based on staffing levels the station will remain open for the foreseeable future,” the department writes on Facebook.

The three firefighters, including a lieutenant, will staff an ambulance and engine at the two-bay South Worcester Street station. The department will also respond to calls in other parts of town, along with crews at department headquarters on East Main Street, a report in thesunchronicle.com says.

“The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER) was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase or maintain the number of trained, ‘front line’ firefighters available in their communities,” FEMA says on its website.

“The goal of SAFER is to enhance the local fire departments’ abilities to comply with staffing, response and operational standards established by the NFPA (NFPA 1710 and/or NFPA 1720). For details, review the National Fire Protection Association’s codes and standards.”