PHOTOS: Fire trucks are among the most recognizable vehicles on the road. Theyโre big, red, loud, and built to respond when lives are on the line. But what happens when these machines are retired from service?
WDET listener and Detroit Fire Department cadet Kevin Snook reached out to CuriosiD to find out.
โI have family that are first responders,โ Snook told WDET. โMy dad was a cop for many years, but I decided to take a different route right out of high school, and that led me to the fire service. Iโve been seeing a lot of different trucks at the stations and started wondering โ where do they all go when theyโre retired?โ
The short answer
Thereโs no single answer, but the journey of a fire truck after its last alarm can take a few surprising turns.
Fire trucks have deep roots in Michiganโs automotive past
Detroit has long been home to some of the most well-known fire truck brands in the country. That includes Spartan Motors, based in Charlotte, Michigan, and Seagrave Fire Apparatus, which started in Rochester in the 1800s.
โFredrick Seagrave originally made ladders for apple picking,โ said David Egeler, director of operations at the Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti. โHis equipment became popular, and his business grew so much that he moved into the city in 1881.โ
Seagrave later moved to Columbus, Ohio, and now operates out of Wisconsin. Itโs the oldest continuously operating fire apparatus manufacturer in the country, and many older rigs in metro Detroit still bear the Seagrave name.
The Michigan Firehouse Museum maintains 15 vintage fire trucks, all in running condition. Some of them still roll out for local parades and events.
Some end up in collections, others are scrapped
Thereโs a collectorโs market for fire trucks, much like classic cars. Egeler says some retired firefighters buy trucks they once worked with, while others look for specific models or brands.
