| The
initial rendering of the fire truck, which
was done sometime around 1961, indicates
that my father wanted to utilize the new
"Fireliner" chassis, a truck built
by White Freightliner specifically designed
for fire service use. The Fireliner utilized
a modified over-the-road cab that was moved forward
and down to make it easier for entry and
exit of the cab. It also moved the cab
forward to allow a fire body to be
installed.
To
the best of my knowledge, the only trucks
built on this chassis were three pumpers and
a pair of Snorkels, built for the fire
departments in Renton, Washington and
Chehalis, Washington. The trucks were built
in Portland, Oregon by Westland.
The sales manager of Westland was Doug
Roney, who previously owned Roney Fire
Apparatus and later was the sales manager
for Wesco, the company that built Fire 32.
My father did some work on the side for Doug
Roney, so I assume he became familiar with
the Fireliner through this connection.
The
Fireliner was produced for a very limited
time, so by the time the fire district was
ready to purchase new trucks, it was no
longer available, forcing the move to the
Ford C series cabover.
The
two pumpers at Renton were likely scrapped,
as there is no record of their existence.
The Renton Snorkel was passed around for
several years and has found a permanent home
at the Pacific Northwest Truck Museum,
located in Brooks, Oregon. The Chehalis
Snorkel was sent to the country of Georgia
about six years ago, so there is no telling
what has happened to it. The Chehalis pumper
is still owned by the Chehalis Fire
Department and remains in service as a
reserve engine.
This is a rendering of Fire 32 based on
the Fireliner chassis
Front
view of one of the Renton trucks, taken at
the White Freightliner
facility on Swan Island in Portland, Oregon
Rear
view of one of the Renton trucks, taken at
the White Freightliner
facility on Swan Island in Portland, Oregon
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