Fire And Cop Shop Open House Draws Fire Apparatus Model Builders and Antique Fire Truck Collectors

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Each year the Fire and Cop Shop, a firefighting and police memorabilia store in Moreno Valley, California holds its Open House and Customer Appreciation Days on the anniversary of their store opening. Customers from across the United States and around the world join Teri and Art Deyo, the owners of the Fire and Cop Shop, for a dinner and a display of their personal memorabilia.

At the 4th Annual Fire and Cop Shop Open House, model makers from California, Arizona, Connecticut, and Florida displayed their modified fire apparatus and equipment models. "Kit bashing" is a term that refers to customizing existing model kits by re-cutting and re-decaling them to fit the model maker's purpose. Dozens of impressive kit bashed displays lined the tables at the Fire and Cop Shop's Open House. One of the highlights of this year's event was a highly detailed model of Los Angeles County's Fire Station 111. Another popular piece was a high rise building fire scenario, complete with smoke and fire apparatus, which was built by Daryl Goodman, a former volunteer with the Clark County Fire Department.

Richard N. Krom, an avid collector and model builder spoke about the popularity of kit bashing and model making saying, "We can't have bulldozers in our living room. We can't have real fire trucks. They're expensive to maintain and the neighbors probably wouldn't like them. This is a way to continue the appreciation and to bring a fascination into your house."

In addition to the scale models, several antique fire trucks were on display. Monty Hammer, a former Cathedral City firefighter, brought his 1952 Mack Fire Truck. This unit served for 35 years at the Mid Orange-Warwick Correctional Facility in Warwick, New York. Doug Hammer, an avid collector and another former Cathedral City firefighter, showcased his 1941 United Kenworth, an extremely rare fire truck. Only 5 of these uniquely styled trucks were manufactured, and in 1957, four of them were sent to Mexico, making Monty Hammer's the only one left in the United States.

The Fire and Cop Shop is the West Coast's only fire and police memorabilia merchant that has both an online store and a physical location, and it is a firefighter-owned business. FDNNTV.com's Crystal Chessher had the privilege to tour their store in Moreno Valley, California earlier this year. Click here to view her video story.