Antique Fire Apparatus Enthusiasts Attend SPAAMFAA 2009 Winter Conference

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The Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America (SPAAMFAA) held its annual winter conference in Pomona, California. SPAAMFAA has over 3,000 members and 50 chapters across the United States, and each year their conference is held in a different state. SPAAMFAA's 2009 Winter Conference and Muster was hosted by the Crown Firecoach Enthusiasts, the Southern California chapter of SPAAMFAA. This year's theme was "Crown Time in 2009".

The four day conference, based in Pomona, California, began with the organization's board meeting, luncheon, and annual membership meeting. According to Ronald Dierkens, the President of the Crown Firecoach Enthusiasts, "We have literally members from all over the country and we have several members that came in from Canada, as well." These visitors were treated to guided tours of several Southern California museums, including the Long Beach Fire Department Museum, Los Angeles City Fire Department Museum, and the Nethercutt Collection antique automobile museum. They were also able to visit some of Southern California's fire stations, including Los Angeles City's Air Operations Station 114 and the Pala Indian Reservation Fire Department. Members were also given the opportunity to attend seminars on various fire service topics, including wildfire photography, the Freeway Complex Wildfire, apparatus sirens, and the CSFA 1902 American steamer engine.

To give out-of-state members a look at California wildland firefighting, the Crown Firecoach Enthusiasts hosted a showcase of Wildland Fire Apparatus that included Type III Engines, a water tender and patrol vehicle from the United States Forest Service and bulldozers from various California fire departments. Attendees were also served dinner in a mock-up of a wildfire base camp.

The culmination of the conference was an antique fire apparatus display and flea market at the Pomona Fairplex, which was open to the public. On display were 64 fire trucks, including Macks, Kenworths, American La Frances, and Crown Firecoaches ranging from 1902 to the mid-1980's. Of particular note were the CSFA's 1902 American steamer engine, which did a steam-up demonstration for the crowd, and a 1914 Model T that was brought to the convention from Oregon.

Also present at the antique apparatus show was the 1972 Crown Firecoach that was the original Pump 27 from Los Angeles City's famed Station 27 in Hollywood. This truck was purchased by Gregory Widen, a former firefighter and the scriptwriter for the movie Backdraft, and Randy Simon, who painstakingly restored it to its original splendor. Speaking about the generous help they received from other antique fire apparatus enthusiasts, Widen says, "It was actually amazing to me, who is sort of new to refurbishing fire engines, how helpful everybody is. People are always giving you free stuff or trading you stuff. It is a real fun community that way. People seem to go out of their way to try to help you fix your rig up and find what you need for it."

The accompanying flea market gave fire enthusiasts a wide variety of memorabilia to choose from, with some pieces on sale dating back to the mid-1800's. According to Ronald Dierkens, "We had a nice size flea market here, all fire related stuff. A lot of really old antique stuff like fire buckets that they used years ago and the old leather fire helmets."

Join FDNNTV.com's Barbara Brooks throughout the month of April as she showcases some of the antique fire apparatus that were on display at the SPAAMFAA 2009 Winter Conference and Muster.