By FireRescue1 Staff
LITTLETON, Colo. — Have you ever met a fire truck that was the one that got away? For one firefighter, he had a second chance to reunite with a rig that was very near and dear to his heart.
Over two decades ago, fire official Eric Hurst recalls sitting in the front of a fire truck and immediately falling in love with the idea of becoming a firefighter.
“I was infatuated with the fire department … I remember how big the steering wheel felt and how the front seat kind of felt like a couch because it was so big,” Hurst told 9News. “It’s very much one of a kind.”
Hurst works as the public information officer for South Metro Fire Rescue Authority, which was previously known as the Castlewood Fire Department. The 1970’s Imperial engine was taken out of service in 2000, and by then Hurst lost track of the truck. Over two decades later, Hurst said he saw the truck for sale online.
“Immediately I had a flashback, back to when I was a kid on the front of that [engine],” Hurst said. “It didn’t have the labels on it, it didn’t have the old lights on it, but I could identify it immediately.”
Hurst purchased the rig for $13,000 and had the old Castlewood Fire Department decals made and placed on it. He said he plans to take the truck to parades and events to encourage younger children to consider becoming a firefighter.
“It’s exciting for me to be able to kind of give back to the kids who are on the street watching and maybe have the same mindset that I do,” Hurst said.