Montville's Antique Fire Trucks Shine in First-Ever 'Sirens on the Sound'

Antique fire trucks from Montville won the Best in Show and People's Choice awards at the first Sirens On The Sound fire apparatus and car show at Waterford Beach Park Saturday. Waterford, Mystic and East Lyme also entered for a chance to win prizes and more importantly, the chance to show off. 

"It took us seven years to restore it," said Dawn Turner of Montville company's 1931 GMC American LaFrance fire truck. 

Gary Silva, who works on Jordan Village company's 1920 Ford Model T American LaFrance soda-acid fire engine agreed that the never-ending maintenance and restoration project was a labor of love. 

Jordan's 1920 Model T was bought new, in 1920 - the first fire truck bought by the town of Waterford. 

"We think it was experimental technology," said Nick Condon of the soda-acid chemicals used to create pressure and extinguish fires. "They put out fires with water before this truck and they still use water to put out fires." 

It's hard to know the cost of the truck or its length of service because the records were lost in the 1930s when the firehouse burned down. 

Many of the antiques are used in parades now, or are shown around the state. One truck, Mystic's 1883 Button hand pumper, or "hand tub," has taken first place six times in firemen's musters with a winning stream of about 240 feet, according to caretaker Fritz Hilbert, fire chief of the Mystic Fire Department.

Four awards were given to selected trucks in attendance:  

Best in Show went to the 1931 GMC American LaFrance fire truck from Montville. 

Best Appearing-Horse Drawn was awarded to the 1883 Button hand pump from Hoxie Hose in Mystic. 

Best Appearing-Motorized went to the 1961 Dodge Power Wagon brush truck from Niantic Fire Department.

People's Choice went to "Foggy," the 1942 International brush truck (high pressure fog unit) from Montville. 

"We've already started talking about trying to do it bigger and better next year," said coordinator Tim Condon.

"It still exceeded our expectation for a rainy day. We got a lot of interest, I was impressed with how many people came out to see the trucks."