After years of careful restoration, a unique firefighting vehicle from Windsor’s past is roadworthy again: The “1959 Elcombe” fire truck.“This fire truck is the longest-serving piece of fire apparatus in the history of the fire department,” said Wayne Currie, vice-president of the Windsor Professional Fire Fighters Association.
On Wednesday, the WPFFA unveiled the refurbished truck, which is used for ceremonial purposes such as public events, parades, and firefighter funerals.
The restored ‘1959 Elcombe’ fire truck, as unveiled by the Windsor Professional Fire Fighters Association on July 19, 2023. PHOTO BY DAN JANISSE /Windsor Star
Despite the truck’s name, parts of it date back even further than 1959. Currie said the chassis, suction tubes, and other elements can be traced to 1927, when it was one of the first motor-driven water pumpers in the Walkerville area.
The most recent restoration — funded entirely by the WPFAA — has returned the vehicle to its state in 1959, after it was modernized by the Sandwich-based company Elcombe Engineering Ltd.
A view of the restored ‘1959 Elcombe’ fire truck, presented by the Windsor Professional Fire Fighters Association on July 19, 2023. PHOTO BY DAN JANISSE /Windsor Star
“That truck is one-of-a-kind,” Currie said. “After Elcombe worked on it, they never built another one.”
The City of Windsor was considering scrapping the decades-old equipment in 2016 after it sustained major engine damage.
But the WPFFA was determined to save it. The association purchased the truck from the municipality and contracted Maidstone-based 401 Trucksource Inc. to repair and restore it.
“Firefighters are known to preserve our history,” Currie said. “We took it upon ourselves. The membership had to vote on this, because it was the membership who had to pay for it.”
It took around five years for the project to be completed. Not only was the engine entirely replaced, but the truck was converted from standard to automatic transmission.
Currie estimates the total cost of the project at around “a couple hundred thousand dollars.”
Currie credited 401 Trucksource Inc. president and owner Frank Kemski for his personal interest and partnership. “Frank believed in our project, he believed in what we were trying to accomplish, to have a truck with importance to local firefighting history and automotive history.”
Windsor Professional Fire Fighters Association vice president Wayne Currie puts his granddaughter Katalina Currie in the driver seat of the restored ‘1959 Elcombe’ fire truck on July 19, 2023.
Due to his help bringing the “1959 Elcombe” back to its former glory, Kemski has been made an honorary WPFFA member — only the fifth non-firefighting citizen to receive such recognition in the association’s history.
The WPFFA is now in discussions with the municipality on how to store the “1959 Elcombe” truck and protect it from the elements, while keeping it readily available.
Currie said he hopes the truck’s ceremonial use will continue for generations to come.
“When a firefighter dies in the line of duty, they ride on top of a fire truck,” he said. “It’s our highest level of respect for a fallen brother or sister.”