On a map of North America, you may just be able to pick out a thin line in the ocean south of Long Island, NY. Fire Island is a barrier island approximately 30 miles long by half a mile wide, about 5 miles off the shore of Long Island. It's also home to a number of vacation communities that are vibrant in the summer and quiet in the winter; the year-round population of Fire Island is only about 500, and there are very few vehicles. This photo by Matthew Ireland shows Fair Harbor, one of the locations on the island served by ferries from the mainland.
This map includes most of the island, and the ferry routes that run from May to October. The inset map shows its location off Long Island, with New York City to the west. Five volunteer fire departments which operated Willys Jeeps are indicated by the firehouse icons.
Fair Harbor Fire Department is a full-time volunteer department organized in 1931 by a group of homeowners in this unincorporated community in the western section of Fire Island. Given the summer resort nature of Fair Harbor and the surrounding communities, there are a limited number of volunteers available in the winter months. But from spring to fall, the Fire District grows in population with homeowners and renters seeking the sun, sea breeze and water sports. The risk of fire is greatest then, and the Fire Department also has an influx of seasonal volunteer fire fighters.
This 1960 Howe Willys fire engine had a remarkable 2,746 miles on the odometer when it was retired in 2006. It was auctioned in January 2007 in fully operational condition. The 500 GPM Waterous front-mounted pump has two 2-1/2" and two 1-1/2" discharges, and there is a separate prime pump for drafting with the 4" suction hose. The onboard tank holds 100 gallons of water, and as sold the truck included 500 feet of 3" hose in the hose bed.
Howe and Willys builder's plates (30K JPEG) carry Willys serial number 55168 22327, GVW 6,000 pounds, and Howe Model A-S-AP, serial number 10729. The Howe Fire Apparatus Jeep Production List indicates that the truck was delivered new in 1960 to White Plains, NY, from where it was apparently sold by a dealer to Fair Harbor.
It must have been built by Howe as a fairly stripped-down version of the Willys Commando fire truck, lacking the usual storage compartments fore and aft of the rear fenders, and booster reel behind the cab. The overhead storage racks appear to have been added by the department, allowing longer ladders and suction hose than the Commando usually carried.
Photos like this illustrate the relaxed, quiet lifestyle of cottages along boardwalks within an easy stroll to the beach. But any firefighter would also recognize the challenge of protecting this kind of neighborhood. And, as on the boardwalk of Wildwood, New Jersey, a Jeep was an obvious choice of apparatus.
This photo of the Jeep in service, shows it prior to being repainted and having the overhead rack added. The Jeep had replaced Fair Harbor's earlier 1932 Ford (190K JPEG). Thanks to John Toomey and Long Island Firetrucks.com for these photos.
FHFD and some of the other mutual aid companies on the island now have newer mini-pumpers in service; a couple of them are seen here during a 2003 emergency exercise simulating an explosion in Fair Harbor, intended to test inter-agency communication and coordination. And in 2001, due to concerns about the reliability of the municipal water supply, Fair Harbor purchased a larger International-Saulsbury pumper (100K JPEG, courtesy of LIFT) capable of drawing 1200 GPM of salt water.
The big truck received a true baptism of fire at a 2002 oceanfront house fire in Lonelyville, just east of Fair Harbor. The effect of the typical 25 to 40 MPH wind off the ocean is obvious from this photo, and the FHFD had their hands full preventing the blaze from spreading to a number of other structures downwind. At one point electricity on the island was shut down due to burning poles, resulting in a loss of pressure in the hydrants, and all the hose lines were supplied with water delivered from the Bay by the new pumper.
State-of-the-art fire protection has moved beyond what the 1960 Willys was able to provide, and although it's no longer on Fire Island, the old Jeep will no doubt be remembered fondly by residents. Many volunteers sat in the cab or worked on the 226 Super-Hurricane engine under the hood over five decades. The dual battery setup was connected through a switch under the dash. Other details include the original floor mats and door liners (40K JPEGs).
In 2007, Ed Spigle loaded the truck on a trailer pulled by his diesel F350, for the trip to his impressive garage in Virginia.
Ed belongs to the Old Dominion Historical Fire Society in Virginia, and said, "My wife Sue and I have taken her to many parades and festivals over the years, and she always gets great attention." Photo by Micah Bodford courtesy of ODFHS.org.
Note: In 2020 Ed sold to the Jeep to fire truck collector Rob Squicciarini, who also happens to be Chief at the Fair Harbor Fire Dept.
It seems likely that Fair Harbor was inspired to buy their 1960 Howe Willys by two Jeeps which had already been in service for a few years in the neighboring community of Ocean Bay Park.
A brief article (180K JPEG) in the April 1958 Jeep News announced the sale of a "Jeep Commando Fire Truck" to Ocean Bay Park, by the Jeep dealer in Islip, one of the communities where the ferries depart for Fire Island. The truck in the photo does have the front pump and bodywork of a Howe Commando, but like the Fair Harbor truck above, it does not have the rear storage compartments or booster hose reel of all the other Commandos I have run across.
A later photo reveals that not only did Ocean Bay Park repaint the Howe, but they added a lot of storage space in the rear.
Photo by John Toomey, courtesy of Long Island Fire Trucks.com. It is identified there as a 1953 Willys rather than the correct 1958 date that comes from the Jeep News article and the Howe Jeep Production List.
More recently the front pump was removed and the truck repurposed as a lighting and generator unit, with a ladder rack added.
And what's really cool is that the OBP Fire Department put the Willys on their shoulder patch.
What's a bit confusing, however, is that OBP has another yellow Willys. The front grille indicates this one is actually a '53, and the unit number 5-29-1 suggests they had it prior to buying the '58, numbered 5-29-2. I don't recognize the builder of this midship mini-pumper, shown with rear storage and a deck gun in John Toomey's photo.
In a photo that the Department has on their website as of 2024, this truck now has a standard pickup box. Possibly the storage compartments were add-ons and had reached the end of their useful life. The truck retains the midship pump and booster reel, but appears to have been retired and put on display.
I discovered in 2024 that a Blitz Buggy Fire Fighter went to the Ocean Beach Fire Department on the island. It would have been bought directly from Blitz Buggy in Old Forge NY, rather than through a Jeep dealer. The ladder rack may be a later addition, requiring moving the siren to the front fender.
Photo by John Toomey, courtesy of Long Island Fire Trucks.com, where it is identified as a 1953 Willys, although the front grille indicates it is a 1954 or later model.
At least two other Fire Island communities were also served by fire Jeeps, a CJ-6 in Saltaire and a CJ-5 in Davis Park. For photos, see 1960 Fire Island CJ-6.
Thanks to Mathew Stegner of Long Island Firetrucks.com, and to Cherveny Real Estate for the boardwalk photo, TopoZone.com for the topographic map, and Fair Harbor Fire Department for the other photos. -- Derek Redmond
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