Heather Wright/The Independent

In the world of firefighting, the Brigden department’s 1926 Model T pumper truck is rare.

Not only is it in near mint condition and can travel the roads, it has been lovingly cared for by firefighters in the community for 100 years.

Former Chief Roy Dewhurst and retired firefighter Ron Hayward say in the 1920s, the department serving the village was using a hand pump to fight fires. They decided to buy the 1926 Ford with a pump on the front from the local Ford dealer in the downtown.
Today, Ernie Sylvester owns the shop and was giving the Model T its 100 year tune up before the July 4th open house at the Brigden Hall.

It is unusual, especially these days, for fire departments to hold on to their old equipment. Many sell their units when replacements come in, using the money from the resale to pay for the new trucks.

But Haywood says that didn’t happen when the department replaced the Model T in 1952.

“Brigden was a different area… a lot people stuck together… There were just things that we didn’t want to give up.

“When the 52 came, they didn’t go try to sell the truck, they put it in storage. Matter of fact, where I used to live, there on Jane Street…there was a big shed out back and they stored it in there for years.”

Dewhurst said it was a matter of pride in the department to hold onto the vehicle, keeping it sheltered from the elements over the years.

“When you’re a volunteer fireman, you were, what do I say, brothers and sisters with everybody else that was in the department and the whole town, right? So I think it was just why they kept it.

“There was parades like they always had the Brigham Fair parade and all that kind of stuff. So they kept it just for that,” he says.
“It was kind of nostalgic that you had something original.”

The Model T makes regular appearances in the local fair’s parade but former firefighters also trailer it to other parades in Lambton County and into the US to be part of local festivities.

Dewhurst says people are drawn to the machine because it is “unique in its own right and it was small.” So small, it is difficult for some volunteers to fit into the driver’s seat these days.

“It’s cramped,” Dewhurst says. Climbing behind the seat, even the trim former chief doesn’t have a lot of room between himself and the steering wheel.

“The big guys were really having a problem, because again, the seat didn’t move.”

There have been some minor adjustments to the Model T over the years to repair doors which were rusting or put chrome on the headlights; the original was flat black.

And a tank that was in the bed of the truck is also gone. It carried about 200 gallons of water to the scene. Not that it was needed, Dewhurst says since Brigden had its own unique water system.

“Pretty much at every corner there was a fire well, so if they had a fire, they’d drive the truck up and drop the hose into the wells, and then go with it,” he says.

Today, firefighters train on shuttling water in areas where there isn’t fire hydrants.

And the volunteers in Brigden go far beyond the original boundaries of the village, being called out with the other five stations to each call in St. Clair Township.

On July 4, current Chief Jeff Dewhurst says residents will get a chance to look at the Brigden station’s fleet during an open house.

The Model T will be on hand after spending some time at Sylvester’s former Ford dealership. It’s a point of pride for Sylvester to have the vehicle back home after 100 years.

Chief Dewhurst says while many will be interested in the 100 year old truck, there will likely be lots of people taking in the newest vehicle in the fleet, a rescue pumper which rolled into the Brigden hall 100 years after the Model T.
There will also be games for kids, a bike rodeo and hotdogs on hand during the event being held from 11 am to 4 pm.