old fire truck rescued from outside yard

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Bedford Park selling antique Snorkel

Aug 2

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History, Fire Department News | 14 Comments

This from Larry Shapiro:

It appears that the Bedford Park Fire Department was not successful in finding a buyer for the 1959 GMC/Pierce/Snorkel. Recent information was that it would go to a scrap dealer.

I visited last week and took some photos to remember the Snorkel.

final days of historic Snorkel fire truck

Bedford Park’s original Snorkel as it currently rests behind station 1. Larry Shapiro photo

Larry Shapiro photo

1st Snorkel fire truck built for the fire service

Bedford Park FD Truck 712, 1959 GMC/Pierce 55′ Snorkel. Larry Shapiro photo

And the DesPlaines Valley News has an article …

There’s a story that former Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert Quinn invented the Snorkel fire truck in 1958 by running a hose up a cherry picker truck and pumping water down onto a fire.

While the first snorkel [was a] converted vehicle, ~~GMC~~ [Pierce] produced the first original Snorkel fire truck in 1959 for the Chicago Fire Department.

“For some reason, they did not purchase it and it wound up in Bedford Park,” said Bedford Park Fire Chief Sean Maloy. “I’m told Bedford Park got a good deal on it.”
For the next 20 years, Bedford Park firefighters used the GMC Snorkel to battle fires and drive in parades.

“In 1980, we gave it to public works for use as a work truck,” Maloy said. “About 15 years ago, they stopped using it.” The truck sat for years in a Public Works parking lot.

Eventually, firefighters decided they wanted to restore the vintage piece of firefighting equipment.

“We had it towed to the fire yard. We wanted to restore it,” Maloy said. “We set aside $30,000. We wanted to make it pretty for parades.”

Then the other shoe dropped.

“We had it evaluated,” Maloy said. “We found out it needed a lot of body work and a new engine just to make it able to run.” He said the needed repairs would have doubled the cost of restoring the snorkel. “We decided it wouldn’t be a prudent use of another $30,000 that would have to come from the village,” he said.

Reluctantly, the village sought bids for the truck. There were no takers. “We were asking for $5,000,” he said. “I wish I could have had a collector come in and grab it. Unless someone comes in to take it, a piece of history will be going to the scrap yard. I’ll hate to see it go.”

Maloy said he’s in no hurry to junk the vintage apparatus and is willing to hold onto the truck for a little while longer.

“I’ll leave it here until about October,” he said. “After that it’s going to the junk heap. I’d probably take a dollar if someone offered to take it off my hands,” he said with a joke.

Anyone interested in acquiring the snorkel should contact Maloy at the Bedford Park Fire Department. His number is 708-563-4510

Thanks Dan

Tags: 1959 GMC/Pierce/ Pitman Snorkel 65, Bedford Park Fire Chief Sean Maloy, Bedford Park Fire Department, Bedford Park Fire Department history, Chicago Fire Dept, Chief Sean Maloy, Dennis McGuire, fire department history, fire truck for sale, fire truck photos, first ever Pitman Snorkel, GMC Pitman Snorkel, GMC/Snorkel for sale, historic fire truck photos, historic truck photos, Jr, Karl Klotz, Larry Shapiro, old fire truck rescued from outside yard, Pitman Company

Bedford Park FD history – the original Pitman Snorkel

Oct 31

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | 8 Comments

Larry Shapiro photo

Karl Klotz visited the Bedford Park Fire Department and spoke with Chief Sean Maloy about the restoration project that they have underway of their 1959 Snorkel.

The unit is a 1959 GMC/Pierce/ 65′ Pitman Snorkel. This was the first Pitman Snorkel built. It was designed for the Chicago Fire Dept, but refused due to the overall length and tandem axle. The Bedford Park Fire Department made an offer and subsequently purchased the vehicle.

Bill Freidrich collection

Snorkel 5 (later re-numbered 712) entered service in Bedford Park in 1959 and served until 1979 when it was replaced by the Seagrave Snorkel 705.

Jack Connors photo

In 1979, it was passed down to the public works department where it was used by the street light division until approximately 1995. From that point on, it sat in the back parking lot of public works unused.

Currently it is sitting inside Bedford Park Station 1, where it is in the process of a complete overhaul. Mechanical work is being performed by the fire department mechanical staff in house. After completion of the mechanical work, it is slated to go to Automotive Mentoring Group (AMG) for body repair and refinishing.

Karl Klotz photo

The project is being funded in part by the BPFD Foreign Fire Board and the Village of Bedford Park.

From another reader:

“Hey recently, I visited Bedford Park Station #1 and observed a work of love in progress. The Bedford Park Fire Department finally brought home their very first Snorkel, which has been left outside their public works yard rotting away for over 20 years, to start a desperately needed refurbishing. Some mechanical work will be performed in-house with bodywork to be completed at a local business. For those that do not know, this Snorkel is of historical significance, as it was the very first Snorkel actually produced by the Pitman Company for the fire service. It is rumored that this Snorkel was spec’d out by the late Chicago Commissioner Quinn only to be rejected because of it’s overly long wheelbase, which would’ve proved too difficult to maneuver around the city streets. Bedford Park jumped at the chance and purchased it. Snorkel 5 is a 1960 GMC chassis with a V8 gas engine and manual transmission with a Pierce body.”