FIRE ENGINE GEEZERS STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO FIGHT FIRE, TOO. Matt Grant, 23, of Denver, Pennsylvania, owns a 1972, fully-restored Mack 1,000 gpm pumper with a 750 gal. tank. Usually he keeps it garaged in a barn in a neighboring township, but Friday night he brought it to his Lancaster County home so that he could leave straight away Saturday morning for a muster in Harrisburg.
During the night he heard his fire company tone out an alarm for an address on his block. Sure enough, right across the street was a neighbor’s house with fire showing. We’ll let Lancaster Online tell what happened next, in Matt’s own words:
“I got the call and heard that the address was across the street,” Grant said. “I walked out the back door and saw the flames blowing out at the neighbor’s house.”
Grant knew he would not be able to do much for the Worlines’ home. But he saw the Lynams’ home was in danger. “I wanted to save what was savable,” he said.
He maneuvered the truck between the two houses and told the Lynams to close their windows before he began spraying down their home.
37 years old and still saving houses. Matt Grant took this photo
Saturday morning at the fireground.Denver Fire Company arrived minutes later. “I did a double take,” Assistant Chief Harold Martzall said. He said he knew Grant lived in the neighborhood of the fire, but he didn’t expect the antique truck to be on the scene.
While the fire companies focused on the raging flames at the Worlines’ home, Grant kept watch over the Lynams’ house. Once the fire was controlled, he was able to shut down. His truck had done its job.
“Harold told me if I wouldn’t have done that, it would have most likely caught fire,” Grant said of the Lynams’ house.
Matt got picked up and cleaned up in time to head out to the Pennsylvania Pump Primers 34th annual Antique Fire Apparatus Show and Muster where he won first place for the Fastest Draft Award – 1,000 gpm Pump and Larger.
“That Mack may not win awards for appearance… but it sure can work,” Matt says. “Immediately after the fire, I drove it to Harrisburg for Pump Primers and it won the 1000 gpm+ fast draft competition with a from-the-cab-to-flowing-water time of 17.5 seconds.”
He says that he’s about to double his fleet with a purchase of a 1948 Hahn.
Read the full STORY HERE.
See some more of Matt’s fireground photos from Saturday morning’s fire at the LancasterFire InfoBoard HERE.
Hat tip to George C.
