 Still considered
a Front-Line Pumper, Engine 1 was Troy's first motorized fire apparatus. It was
considered a vast improvement over our hand-pulled fire cart which
was still being used when Engine 1 was purchased in 1951 at a cost of $8,200.00.
Engine 1 is a Central fire truck manufactured in St. Louis, Missouri. It is
equipped with a two-stage 500 GPM Waterous mid-ship pump and a 500 gallon steel booster
tank mounted on a 1951 Chevrolet 6400 chassis powered by a 6-cylinder gasoline engine and
a 4-speed manual transmission. Like all of our other trucks, Engine 1 is equipped
with a 110 watt Motorola radio. It carries 1,200' of 2-1/2" hose, 400' of
1-1/2" hose, 200' of 3/4" booster line, 4 Akron nozzles, and two (2) Scott air
packs. Since it was delivered in 1951, it has been housed in three (3) different
fire stations. To show you how far fire trucks have come in the past fifty (50)
years, this truck does not even have a heater! Engine 3
with its four-door, air-conditioned cab certainly provides a greater environment for
firefighters to travel in--or rest at the fire scene!
Engine 1 was purchased when the Troy Fire Department was established for the purpose of
obtaining a better ISO insurance classification rating for the town. In order to
purchase a fire truck, it was necessary to raise city property taxes twenty-five (25)
cents. It's purchase was successful in obtaining a Class 8 ISO rating (upgrading our
former Class 10 which is like not having a rating) and as a result of this upgraded
rating, the citizen's insurance rates went down more than their property taxes went up.
As one can imagine, the purchase of Engine 1 caused some controversy among
our citizens because it was going to raise property taxes. However, it's purchase
actually saved the citizens more money than it cost them!
Engine 1's glory days as a fire truck are certainly over. However, through the years
it has risen to the call of duty on numerous occasions. In the 1960's Engine 1
responded to a major fire in Samburg where it was used to pump water from Reelfoot Lake
for twelve (12) hours supplying water to three (3) other fire trucks. In 1976 Engine
1 was called on to supply water for the Town of Troy. The town's water plant had
experienced a major breakdown in its high service pumps (the pumps used to pump water
throughout the system) and the parts had to be ordered and shipped in. Engine 1 was
dispatched to the water plant and within an hour was pumping water throughout the town's
water system. It pumped water for twenty-seven (27) hours until the repairs were
made and then it returned to the Fire Station to await its next call to duty.
Odometer reading as of: March 10, 1999 10,451 miles
March 10, 2000 10,475 miles
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Retired Assistant Chief W.G. Scott and
Engine 1. This picture was taken on December 9, 2000, forty-eight years after
the above picture. W.G Scott retired in 1995 after serving as Assistant Chief for
forty-five years. He served as a town alderman for fourteen years and as mayor for
six years. Engine 1 was always his favorite truck. A truck which he referred
to as "Granny". Assistant Chief Scott has always been and will always be a
leading force in our department. 
This picuture was taken
in 1952 in-front of Troy's first Fire Station. Pictured from left to
right are: fireman Herman Reedy. Assistant Fire Chief W. G. Scott
& Fire Chief Everett J. Watson.