More than 60 years after Hicksville Volunteer Fire Department’s fire engine was decommissioned, the vintage vehicle has finally returned home.
The engine’s return began last month when former Hicksville Fire Chief Patrick McGeough alerted company historian and former Chief Karl Schweitzer of a posting on the antique apparatus – long thought to be lost to the salvage yard
“It was sold in ’61 or ’62 and that was the last we saw of it,” said Schweitzer. “Minus the pictures we have of it on our wall.”
“Pat saw [the listing] and asked me if I thought it was one of our old trucks,” Schweitzer continued. “[Pat] said that someone was getting rid of it, so we started reaching out to the owner to verify it was one of ours. And it was.”
Within just a few days, the officers of Company 5 received a Facebook message from Andrew Rittner Jr. in Ashford, Conn.
Rittner asked if the department was “interested in a chance to bring the truck home to the Hicksville community.”
Rittner’s father, Andrew Sr., acquired the engine in the late 1980s. The engine was last run in 2004 and parked in the barn for a restoration that was never begun. Rittner Jr. sold his home and has no room for it at his new house.
Cross Island Towing returned the pumper home, and Emergency Company 5 members are now working on a plan to restore it.
A restoration committee has been set up under the direction of ex-Capt. Robert Niemzcyk, including Schweitzer, ex-Chief Rich Diaz, ex-Captain Jeff Scelzi, and several others.
“We’re going to spend the next couple of years raising money to get it refurbished. We’ve already started acquiring a few parts,” Diaz said. “What we’re hoping is that it will coincide with the 100th anniversary of our Company in 2028, and then we’ll display it and use it for parades and historical events.”
While there is limited rust, the engine needs a full restoration. Schweitzer said the ultimate goal is to use the engine in training exercises and parades, car shows, and department fundraising events.
Schweitzer said he has already received several calls from historians, restoration experts, and everyday people who are willing to lend their time and talent.
The funds may also be costly, so the department asks history buffs, collectors, and people interested in seeing this truck come back to life to consider donating.
“We are looking at planning fundraisers and will accept donations from the public too,” Schweitzer said. “All donations will be tax deductible. People can just make checks out to Hicksville Volunteer Fire Department and write in the memo line that it is to help pay for the Seagrave fire truck’s restoration.”
Schweitzer said the restoration will result from the blood, sweat and tears of many people.
“We feel this is helping bring back a sense of not just pride but unity as a group, and bring people together. When [staff] come to the firehouse, they have something to look forward to, something to work on together.”
“It’s a labor of love,” he continued. “It’s going to take a long time and a lot of work and bring a new sense of togetherness that will certainly bring the various generations together and save a piece of timeless history.”
The engine, a 1948 Seagrave Pumper, responded at a critical point in the growth of the Hicksville Community, according to Schweitzer.
The pumper started production on March 22, 1948, and was completed on October 28, 1948.
It was capable for pumping 750 gallons of water per minute and was equipped with a set of wood extension ladders and 500 feet of cotton-jacketed hose. On Nov. 16, 1948, following the underwriter’s test, the Hicksville Fire District accepted the delivery of the 1948 Seagrave.
In 1960, Hicksville’s most disastrous fire caused more than $300,000 in damage. As a result, the Seagrave was pumped at very high pressure for an extended amount of time, rendering the engine unrepairable.
The records at Seagrave and the Hicksville Fire District indicated that the rig was sold to the City of Vergennes, Vt., on Oct. 23, 1962, and serviced the Salisbury Volunteer Fire Department in Vermont until the 1990s. It has been in the hands of private ownership since.
