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Markham Fire Department history

This from Mike Summa for #TBT:

For T BT-The Markham Fire Dept.’s E53, a 1964 IHC/? 750/800.  It was replaced in 1984 with a Ford C/E-One 750/500 as E1531.

Mike Summa

Mike Summa photo

Mike Summa photo

Tags: #TBT, 196 IHC fire engine, Markham Fire Department history, Mike Summa, throw back thursday, throwbackthursday, Vintage 1984 Ford C/E-One fire engine from Markham IL, vintage fire truck photos

This entry was posted on May 14, 2020, 3:06 PM and is filed under Fire Department History, Historic fire apparatus, throwbackthursday. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

7 Comments

• #1 by Crabbymilton on May 16, 2020 - 5:24 AM

  

  My late grandpa who wasn’t an apparatus fan but a diesel mechanic told me when a couple apparatus roared past their house one Saturday night while visiting back when I was about 9 or 10 that all fire engine were gasoline because diesels were not powerful enough and hard to start. This was back in the 70’s when MFD still had many gasoline powered MACK and PIRSCH rigs. He started to realize he was wrong about that as I started researching and becoming very interested in fire apparatus in the 80’s. He passed away in 1994 but he would have been amazed how far Diesel engines have advanced in terms of power and how quiet they are now.

• #2 by ttguy on May 15, 2020 - 5:36 PM

  

  Very true, the IH sound is unique. Nearly all of the school buses in my school district were IH. But there was one GMC with a V6 (not sure of the cubic inch). The usual driver was pretty easy on it and it seemed like a dog. But one day we had a substitute driver and he really woke it up! Yes, responses with gas powered fire apparatus often required crews to approach things differently than today’s operations. Our 534 Ford and 427 Chevy were pretty cold blooded too and were often started before gearing up. A diesel didn’t arrive until a C-8000 with a 3208 NA was added in ’79.

• #3 by DaveyB on May 15, 2020 - 3:33 PM

  

  Forgot to correct. The E-One was a 1000/750.
  The IHC was assigned to Station #2, and was so slow to warm up, the rule was, first person in the door, regardless of rank or qualification, started it and opened the door, then suited up and took their position.

• #4 by CrabbyMilton on May 15, 2020 - 3:06 PM

  

  HEHE. The V8 sounds like a combination air conditioner compressor and jet engine when it’s revving. When I was in grade school, our school had 2 school buses built on the LOADSTAR chassis. They were both pretty much the same but one of them had a 6 cylinder gasoline engine instead of the standard V8. I always got such a kick of how different it sounded compared to the V8. There weren’t too many 6’s in the loadstar.

• #5 by ttguy on May 15, 2020 - 1:32 PM

  

  Agreed, Loadstars were everywhere in the 70s. Take a ride out in the country during fall harvest. Chances are you’ll see more than one in her work clothes. I would speculate that the Loadstar may have been the most widely used grain truck chassis ever built. Nothing quite like the sound of an International gas engine being wound out through the gears. Better than most music heard today in my book!

• #6 by Crabbymilton on May 14, 2020 - 5:48 PM

  

  Very nice. To think, when I was growing up in the 1970’s the INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER LOADSTAR trucks and very popular school bus chassis was everywhere. You couldn’t go a day without seeing one like that. Now, I can’t even remember when I saw one in person the last time that wasn’t parked dead let alone running.

• #7 by DaveyB on May 14, 2020 - 3:38 PM

  

  If I recall, it was a Darley, obtained from Sunnycrest, (IL) FPD, when that became a paper district. That E-One was an sweet ride.

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