By Joey Oliver
mlive.com
BANGOR TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A historic Fire Department of New York vehicle has arrived at the Antique Toy and Firehouse Museum in Bangor Township, adding another piece to one of the largest fire collections in the nation.
Museum officials took possession of the FDNY Super Tender on Wednesday, Dec. 10, in California, which was owned by Ruth Wick. The vehicle completed its five-day trek across the country on Monday, Dec. 15.
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“We were able to traverse those thousands of miles and get this home safely. Now the work begins,” said Mike Snyder, the vice-chair of the museum.
The journey from California reunites the FDNY Super Tender with the FDNY Super Pumper, assembling two pieces of firefighting history that once comprised what museum officials described as a “legendary” Fire Department of New York Pumper System.
Originally commissioned in 1964 for the New York City Fire Department, the Super Pumper was a groundbreaking system, capable of pumping 8,800 gallons of water per minute.
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The pumper was designed for large-scale industrial fires and emergencies. Its partner, the Super Tender, provided critical support, supplying large diameter fire hose, a 10,000-gpm water monitor gun, and additional equipment.
The Super Tender was purchased through an FDNY deaccession process in 1989 by Hewy Wick, who drove the unit cross-country from New Jersey to his California home. Wick restored the unit and routinely displayed it in community and fire history events.
The Tender was frequently featured as California organizations memorialized the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Reuniting the firefighting vehicles was made possible through a successful fundraising drive and a $100,000 challenge grant by Stewart and Kathryn McMillan.
Stewart McMillan, the former CEO of Task Force Tips (TFT), a world-renowned manufacturer of firefighting nozzles and equipment, has devoted his life to advancing the science and practice of fire suppression, according to museum officials.
In 1971, as a young firefighter, Stewart was in New York City and witnessed the Super Pumper System in action at a working fire, officials said.
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