A firetruck is much more than just six wheels, sirens and a water hose – it “becomes a piece of us,” said retired Durango Fire Department Capt. Pat Kelly.
And one piece of Kelly, the 1982 Seagrave Durango Fire Engine 1 he rode for eight years before retiring with an injury, is about to move on. It’s an old truck, painted lime green to be more visible at night. Its decals are fading. Durango Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Jeff Harris admits it’s not pretty, but it is functional.
“What this engine does is no different than what engines today do,” Harris said. “It moves enough water to put out a fire.”
The Seagrave engine rolled into Durango in 1982 – the first automatic transmission firefighting truck for the department. It drove “like a Cadillac,” Kelly said.
But it didn’t have all the “bells and whistles,” and it wasn’t top of the line, Kelly said.