Hey Bruce,
Update on the '51 Mack Snorkel - I got info this past spring from a member at Newtown Square FC that the rig was taken out of service in Forest Lake and moved to a warehouse someplace in or near Binghamton, NY. Unsure of specific location and I have been unsuccessful in trying to recontact Fred Capotosto who was Asst. Chief in Forest Lake in Dec. 2006 (and son of Frank Copotosto). I'm told it is being stored inside but I don't know why it was taken out of service.
Many fond memories of that truck. I operated the rig while I was in Paoli FC from 1972 to 1983. My "biggest" fire in that time frame was the Betsy Ross Candy Company blaze in the Paoli Industrial Park. Here's a newspaper photo of the '51 that day. Sure would like to keep track of that truck and I hope it stays in one piece.
[quote name='BA000049' post='252816' date='Oct 8 2008, 13:49 ']Kimberton
1951 Mack L-85/Snorkel, semi-cab, 750/250, 55' snorkel. This was purchased used in 1976 from the Paoli Fire Company (Chester County). Paoli did the conversion in 1970. It was housed on 9/10/77. It was taken out of service in July of 1993 after 42 years of service and sold in early 1994 for $3,100 to Frank Copotosto of Newtown Square (Delaware County) who leased it to the Forest Lake Fire Company (Susquehanna County) for a $1 a year. Frank’s son is a Asst. Chief there. Frank was not the highest bidder, but the company wanted to give it to a company, not a collector.[/quote]
Update on the '51 Mack Snorkel - I got info this past spring from a member at Newtown Square FC that the rig was taken out of service in Forest Lake and moved to a warehouse someplace in or near Binghamton, NY. Unsure of specific location and I have been unsuccessful in trying to recontact Fred Capotosto who was Asst. Chief in Forest Lake in Dec. 2006 (and son of Frank Copotosto). I'm told it is being stored inside but I don't know why it was taken out of service.
Many fond memories of that truck. I operated the rig while I was in Paoli FC from 1972 to 1983. My "biggest" fire in that time frame was the Betsy Ross Candy Company blaze in the Paoli Industrial Park. Here's a newspaper photo of the '51 that day. Sure would like to keep track of that truck and I hope it stays in one piece.
[quote name='BA000049' post='252816' date='Oct 8 2008, 13:49 ']Kimberton
1951 Mack L-85/Snorkel, semi-cab, 750/250, 55' snorkel. This was purchased used in 1976 from the Paoli Fire Company (Chester County). Paoli did the conversion in 1970. It was housed on 9/10/77. It was taken out of service in July of 1993 after 42 years of service and sold in early 1994 for $3,100 to Frank Copotosto of Newtown Square (Delaware County) who leased it to the Forest Lake Fire Company (Susquehanna County) for a $1 a year. Frank’s son is a Asst. Chief there. Frank was not the highest bidder, but the company wanted to give it to a company, not a collector.[/quote]
Jack Sullivan
Dir. of Training, Emergency Responder Safety Institute
WebChief, Old Dominion Historical Fire Society
Dir. of Training, Emergency Responder Safety Institute
WebChief, Old Dominion Historical Fire Society
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