Contributed Photo This new pumper manufactured by Seagrave in Clintonville has joined Squad Company 61 of the New York City Fire Department. Seagrave donated the mural, which is identical to one that adorned a pumper that Seagrave donated to New York City following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, Seagrave Fire Apparatus, LLC, its employees and suppliers, along with support from the Clintonville community, donated a 1,000 gallon-per-minute pumper to the residents of New York.
The fire apparatus was decorated with a mural, donated by the men and women of Seagrave, to serve as a tribute to the fallen firefighters of 9/11. The mural featured an eagle and the words “Never Forget” against a backdrop of an American flag.
The rig was assigned in 2003 to Squad Company 61 in the Bronx. It was not uncommon for residents and tourists to knock on the firehouse door and ask if the rig could be pulled out so they could see in person what they had only seen in photos or on the Internet.
Over the last 10 years, it responded to more than 40,000 alarms, special events, and countless daily routines and duties. Each time, it safely returned its firefighters to their firehouse.
The time has come to replace the pumper. Fire apparatus in New York City are typically retired after 10 years of front-line service and placed in reserve for backup.
“It is with some apprehension that we consider retiring the rig. It’s a special apparatus,” said Capt. Stephen T. Spall, of Squad Company 61. “We have become a well-recognized symbol as we travel the city streets. They tell us how our mural has encouraged them, and all that see it, to never forget.”
Seagrave, which has been supplying fire apparatus to the New York Fire Department since 1901, prepared the replacement rig, as well.
Squad Company 61 took delivery of the new 2013 squad pumper in December. The pumper has an Eagle Mural, which is identical to the original design, donated by Seagrave.
“We are pleased the rig supported well the important mission in the Bronx,” Seagrave Chairman and CEO A. Joseph Neiner said. “Seagrave has a long tradition of building the safest, longest lasting and best quality fire trucks in the industry.”
Considering the rig’s important mission and the honor of having supplied the inspirational mural for the original, Neiner said, “It was an important message in 2003 and it is no less today.”
Seagrave, founded in 1881, is the oldest, continuous manufacturer of fire apparatus in North America.