The Cummington, Massachusetts, homemade ladder truck (Ladder 1) story is delayed. I’m taking a timeout to rant and rave. My intent was to describe how a small fire department with limited resources used a homemade rig to achieve firematic objectives. However, I made a big mistake at morning coffee showing the Raisin Squad some photos and Part 2’s outline. They beat me up for weeks. The squad’s tirade continued after several social dinner meetings with them and other mostly past-their-prime firematic players—most partaking in more than just coffee.

• Cantankerous Wisdom: Homemade Fire Trucks, Part 1

When a Raisin gets on a roll, others jump in for the kill regardless of the topic. It’s really fun. I’ve done it myself. When topics can’t be faulted, the messenger is attacked. Having body parts smashed over controversial articles isn’t new. I enjoy the banter, except when: “It’s opening day of duck season and you’re the duck.”

Disclaimer: They weren’t belittling homemade (aka repurposed) apparatus. Nor were they disparaging Cummington. They were criticizing anyone without a barn full of new apparatus. Mocking fiscally challenged departments just isn’t right. When I tried defending cash-strapped volunteers, it was my turn being the duck. The diehard bellyachers would not accept it, saying, even well-to-do departments can suffer from an unforeseen lack of funds because of the economy; fiscally responsible (damn cheap) politicians; lack of staffing; or physical disasters like floods, fires, hurricanes, and tornadoes. They think it only happens to someone else and besides—taxpayers will always foot the bill.  

Younger geezers can also be a burr under the saddle. One came in the kitchen when I said Cummington’s citizens probably have no idea how much money their volunteers have saved them over the years. He declared, “Let’m raise taxes if they got no money.” I retaliated that his well-heeled department has about 7,000 people crowded into one square mile of homes and businesses. Cummington has around 800 people and covers 23 square miles of mostly forests. What are they going to do tax the trees? Their story, which is Part 2, is delayed, and in it I will defend the departments that don’t have as much money for apparatus as larger departments. Cummington’s resourcefulness is used as example.

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