BY JOSEPH HAYES
Detroit Free Press
The City of Livonia is about to retain a piece of its history.
Originally bought in 1952 and subsequently sold in 1985, the American La France was the first fire truck the city purchased.
The city sold the truck for a variety of reasons, including the need to upgrade the Fire Department, city officials said.
However, after being purchased again -- this time from a private owner -- the truck will once again call Livonia home. The Livonia Historical Commission bought the fire truck.
While it’s not likely the fire truck will be used to put out fires, it will still serve an important purpose for the community.
“It’s exciting to have such an historical representative of our city back,” Fire Chief Alan Brandemihl Jr., a lifelong Livonia resident, said Friday. “We will use the truck mainly for community events such as parades, ceremonial events and also our educational fire safety efforts.”
The process of restoring the truck is still in the early stages. The Fire Department is seeking support from local businesses to finance the project. Brandemihl said he did not know how much it will cost to bring the truck back to its original state. The City of Livonia, however, will not provide additional finances to fund the restoration of the American La France, Brandemihl said.
Once funding is found, the next stage will be to begin working within the department to restore the truck. The Fire Department does not plan on hiring contractors to work on the legendary truck.
“Hopefully by the end of the year, we can start the process of getting the truck worked on and restored,” Brandemihl said. “It’s just the process of finding the necessary funding first and foremost and then going on from there.”
The truck is still structurally intact but blemishes obviously have developed over time. In 1953, the truck was exposed to a significant fire when the Hydromatic Transition Plant went ablaze. The fire left cosmetic damage to the truck that grew worse over time.
“The fire at the Hydromatic Plant was very bad,” retired Livonia firefighter Donald Falsom, 82, said Friday. “It was the worst the department has ever seen to this day, and I know the truck was damaged somewhat from the intensity of the fire. But the cosmetic damages won’t be hard to get around.” In addition to repairing the outward appearance of the truck, some necessary upgrades will have to take place, such as replacing the water pump on the truck.
“Because of the age of the truck, we have to make sure that some of the core parts and components are intact and functioning properly,” Brandemihl said. “It still runs well because trucks were built better back then.
“The structure is stable but there are some things we would like to do to enhance the outward appearance of it and also take care of the necessary improvements.”
With the truck now being returned to its original owner, the regretful memories of selling the truck are finally starting to dissipate. “It was a very sad day,” said Brandemihl, whose father was the fire chief when the truck was purchased in the ‘50s. “We hated to see it go. But we didn’t have any room for it after purchasing new vehicles.
“It wasn’t until it was gone that we all realized that we had just gotten rid of one of the jewels of our department,” Brandemihl said. “But now with it back, it’s like a return to our history.”
Brandemihl said his main desire in reacquiring the truck is to educate future generations on the importance and historical value that the American La France has had with the city.
“This is a truck that had been one of the key stalwarts of the department,” Brandemihl said. “It was great for us then, and it helped a lot of people. I’m sure it will serve a great purpose once again.”