An old friend of the city is still well-loved and supported thanks, in part, to the efforts of a local group that raised close to $1,000 for its upkeep.
With this money, Orillia Fire Department’s oldest vehicle, the 1923 LaFrance Fire Truck, will receive essential repairs and maintenance.
The funds go to the Orillia Heritage Centre (OHC) that owns the truck, which is housed at Orillia Fire Station 1. The non-profit manages the restoration and maintenance of the truck, said Capt. Glenn Higgins, of the Orillia Fire Department.
The money was raised by the sale of tickets to Orillians as well as to those attending the annual Christmas dinner for serving, volunteer, and retired firefighters, he explained.
Everyone who bought a $5 ticket entered a draw to win a chainsaw carved wooden bear made and donated by Ted Williams, a Chippewas of Rama councillor.
The winner of the draw, Keith Mumford, was given his prize Saturday at a brief ceremony held at the Gill Street fire station. Williams wasn’t able to attend, as he was a bit under the weather.
“I just thought I would support the cause; I never thought I would win this,” said Mumford, adding he thought the piece of art was beautiful and he plans to proudly display it on his porch.
But it seemed like destiny because the Orillia resident had been a volunteer firefighter for 25 years.
“It was just a beautiful time,” said Mumford of his years with the fire service. “We made quite a few memories, some of them were about bad accidents and horrible fires, but I just wanted to help people.”
The equipment, he said, wasn't anything like it is now, but the training was excellent.
Looking at the old fire truck, it’s clear technology has come a long ways in the century since the vehicle first made its way to Orillia in 1923, for the price of $12,000, said Higgins.
It served the city for five decades before it found a home with a local collector. It changed hands once more before making its way back to the fire department in 2010, with the help of the OHC.
“This truck is a real survivor,” said Higgins. “It still starts and runs pretty fast. It has the original motor. There's been mechanical work done on it but the main parts are still original.”
He said repairs are done as funds become available to the OHC, either through local corporate sponsors or fundraisers, such as this one.
“We're (currently) trying to do some nickel plating on it,” said Higgins. “But as you run it, (over time) things break because it's so old. Eventually the motor or something big is going to go.”
He noted that having repairs done on a piece of history is very expensive.
“It has to have specialty work done,” said Higgins. “There are some parts you can find, but other parts have to be made. And the technology has also long gone, so once you have the piece you have to find the person who can work with this old technology.”
Just as an example, he said, the truck requires six gallons of oil during an oil change, compared to the gallon used by a modern vehicle.
“It's a huge expense for that, too, because it's specialty oil,” Higgins said.
But he said this has to be done because the LaFrance goes out to at least 10 events during the year, such as the Canada Day Parade, Scottish Festival, and Mariposa Folk Festival.
If anyone is interested in learning more about this piece of history and helping it keep alive, said Higgins, they can contact him at [email protected] or Captain Jeff Balkwill at [email protected].