For at least the next year, the Gainesville Fire-Rescue apparatus from the 1940s will be worked on by students of Automotive Technology Instructor Zachary Terry.

“The first issue is to check to see if the engine is froze up,” Terry said  of  the 1947 American LaFrance pumper truck. “That's gonna tell us a lot.”

The truck, which was found in town in an old metal building, was sold in September to area business owners with the intent to restore it. 

The business owners said they  were  prepared to financially support the community project. However, one of the business owners said the group  wanted  to remain anonymous to keep the focus on the community.

Wally Cox, retired Gainesville Fire Chief, said he was contacted in September to help. Since then, he's been working on tracking down the history of the apparatus. 

A brand new tanker could cost anywhere from $250,000 to $400,000.

Luckily, Thieke works at a local auto shop and figured out how to cut down that price.

He could attach the back of the old truck to the front of a new truck.

"We bought a fire truck; actually a pumper truck that came from the city of Toledo," said Thieke.

Combining the two trucks took more than 200 hours of work.

"We took the pump and tank and body off, then we cut the frame, shortened the frame and put a new frame on back,” said Thieke.

After putting both trucks together, the auto shop sold the truck back to the fire department for $78,000, saving the department at least $170,000 for other necessities.