MIAMI, Okla. – Firefighters and the City of Miami are raising funds to restore a piece of Miami History. Their 1949 Seagrave Pumper No. 6.
Miami Firefighters plan to showcase the Seagrave in parades, fire prevention education, and special celebrations.
Officials tell us they hope to raise $15,000. Their hope is to have it completed for the Miami Christmas Parade this year in 2022.
Plans are to complete the interior with a bench seat in back so kids can experience riding along. Refinish the body in the now-popular patina style. But the major work will be setting the renewed body on a new chassis and motor. Right now nothing mechanical is in working order. The Seagrave is on display behind the police department currently.
To raise funds Seagrave Firetruck T-Shirts can be ordered.
- Short sleeve $14
- Long sleeve $18
- Larger sizes add extra below:
- $2 for 2X
- $3 for 3X
- $4 for 4X
Orders must be placed by April 30th and can be made by calling Amy Bass at the fire dept, 918-541-2291.
The city of Miami share in a recent press release the ’49 model was bought brand new by the City of Miami. After making hundreds of runs in the line of duty, and eventually as a reserve truck, the well-used pumper was sold as surplus in an auction. The firetruck landed in Adair, Okla. and after the town upgraded their equipment, the firetruck was sold back to the City of Miami firefighters a for a whopping sum of one dollar sometime in 2014/2015 while Ronnie Cline was then fire chief. As a new Miami firefighter in 1989, Cline used to polish the Seagrave and the firefighter bought the vehicle for sentimental reasons.
Since its return home to Miami, the truck has been stored away and now sits at the South Miami Fire Station. Carrying on Cline’s dream, Miami Firefighters want to refurbish the old firetruck so it can be used for public education and parades.
Seagrave was the oldest manufacturer of fire apparatus in the U.S. The body of the Miami firetruck is in surprisingly good condition, according to Miami firefighters, but to get the truck back into shape will take lots of hard work. A new chassis, mechanical work as well as some cosmetic work are needed to make the old truck drivable and shiny. That’s where the community can help, Fire Chief Robert Wright said.
The 1949 Seagrave models were equipped with 600 gallon a minute front mounted pumps and a 250 to 1,000 gallon water tank.
Retired firefighter Gary Reynolds, who was with the department from 1962 to 1995 says there aren’t many firefighters left who rode the ’49 Seagrave.
Miami Fire Chief Wright said new firetrucks have an average use span of 10 or more years and it’s a testament of how well made the Seagrave model was manufactured.