The Carmel Fire Dept. held a ceremony April 21 at its maintenance facility to place the pump on a 1960 Ford C850 fire truck that is in the process of being restored. The old Engine One was originally built for CFD and was in service from 1960 until the early 1980s.
CFD invited Phil Shreve and his son, Steve Shreve, to help lower the pump into place. Phil, 87, placed the original pump on the fire engine as a young employee at Howe Fire Apparatus in Anderson. Steve joined the company in 1975.
Phil and Steve helped found Manifold & Shreves Emergency Vehicle Sales and Service in 1979 after the Howe plant closed. Manifold & Shreves refurbished the truck in the early 1980s before it was sold to the Fishers Fire Dept. and has provided apparatus and service to CFD since then. Steve also has helped with research to help restore the engine.
CFD rediscovered the truck in a Kentucky junkyard in 2017. After restoration, which is projected to be complete in 2022, the engine is expected to be stored and displayed at a five-story building under construction on Veterans Way that will house CFD headquarters, a museum, community gathering space and the Survive Alive Village experience for children.
Learn more about the restoration project, which is aiming for completion in 2022, or make a donation at gofundme.com/f/old-engine-one-restoration.
