LETTERS

Antique Fire Apparatus Society saves ‘discarded warriors’

Posted

To the Editor:

I was saddened to read last week’s story about the town’s Fire Department ladder truck that was destroyed. As a member of the Rhode Island Antique Fire Apparatus Society (RIAFAS), an organization dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and promotion of antique firefighting equipment, I felt compelled to write this letter not as criticism, but to raise awareness of our group and what we are all about.

RIAFAS was organized in 2004 with eight members and five antique fire trucks; today we have over 80 trucks and 150 members. We all share a sense of interest and enthusiasm about fire engines and firefighting equipment. We aid each other in the care and restoration of vintage fire equipment and seek to promote a feeling of friendliness among our members to learn the history and development of fire apparatus. We take pride in preserving our historic firefighting equipment and display it in parades, meets, and musters.

In a recent interview, John Burzichelli, host of the reality TV series “Rescuing Fire Trucks,” said it best: “ … we restore something that is more than just a vehicle. A fire truck has a personality; it belonged to a community and spanned generations of people and events. We race to save these discarded warriors from the scrapers torch, restore them to their original glory, and bring them back home one last time.”

Part of our mission at RIAFAS is to preserve these pieces of history and save them from being scrapped. We are part of a statewide, regional, and national network of antique fire truck enthusiasts that would have made every attempt to find a home for this truck. Although the town received a grant and $7,500 for the scrap metal, a piece of Johnston firefighting history has been lost forever. Members of our organization will be contacting legislators for change in the way that federal grants are written that require destruction of equipment considered to be “future history.” Our goal is to save and preserve the fire trucks of past and present that will become the antiques of tomorrow.

You can contact or find out more about RIAFAS at www.riafas.org.

Richard A. Quetta,

President

Rhode Island Antique Fire Apparatus Society

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