Day 1 - Springfield, MA

Hello from Springfield MA.

Although, I have been on the road since Saturday, I have not been able to do much buffing. Have been through Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo NY and Niagara Falls. I am learning how to read the Toll Tickets that are required in many of the states. While on my way to Niagara, I pulled of the Interstate near the Ohio border with PA. Without having a plan or a map of the area, I was able to shoot several photos in just an hour. I seldom have this kind of luck when I plan for the pictures. This trip will take about three weeks and I will travel to the Cape Cod area, Boston,Portland ME,Bar Harbor ME,Nashua NH, Manchester NH, and Burlington VT. Along with the usual tourist type activities, I plan to do as much buffing as I can safely get away with. I will send updates as I get photos to send.

Day 2 - South Yarmouth, MA

Greetings from South Yarmouth MA

Today's photos are from Erie PA. Erie Fire Department protects a city of 20 square miles with a population of around 100000. The department responds from 6 stations. The firefighters that I talked to said that when they started in the late 70's, the department had 12 stations. There is 4 man minimum staffing on all the apparatus that responds. The duty Chief also responds with a driver. I stopped at the Central station downtown, which houses 2 Engines (1 reserve), a Tower Ladder, and the Duty Chief. While I was there, the station was using a reserve Aerial while the Tower was back at the factory for repairs. In between calls, I was able to photograph all three pieces at the Central Station. The Captain called ahead to another station to have the new KME Tower, which was identical to what would have been at the Central Station pulled out for me. Today's photos include two engines numbered Engine 3. The front line engine is the photo with the unpainted roll up doors.

That's all for today. Tomorrow's photos will be from the Cape Cod area.

Day 3 & 4 - Cape Cod Area, MA

Hi guys. We arrived on Cape Cod around noon on Monday and decided to use the afternoon to tour the west side of the island in search of lighthouses. Funny, it sees as if all I found were the Fire Stations in the area. I have decided to take as many station shots on this trip as I can, in addition to the apparatus shots. We pulled of the highway in Bourne MA to take a break only to find a Bourne Fire Station on a Rotary or Traffic Circle or Roundabout or whatever you call it. After taking a couple of laps, I finally found a place to park. I was able to photograph an engine parked out front and a brush breaker out back. I found out that the brand new engine that was stationed there was wrecked by a truck who ran into the station while doing laps on the rotary. There were carpenters in the station working on repairs. The engine is due to be out of service for several months.

In doing research for this trip, I came across one of the best Fire Buff web sites that I have ever seen. It is www.capecodfd.com and is run by Britt Crosby. Britt is a Lieutenant and Paramedic for COMM Fire Department. COMM is comprised of the three communities of Centerville, Osterville and Marstons Mills. I have used this site several times for information, but mainly I go to it for fun.

We followed a slow pace but scenic route down the west side and found two stations and a shopping area for my wife in the community of Falmouth. Falmouth is the home of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and has five stations. We started for our hotel in the Mid Cape area around 4:00 and found out that even a small island community has traffic problems. Cape Cod has only three main roads that travel from west to east and traffic can get heavy. If you miss your turn, or in my case Fire Station, good luck trying to turn around to get back.

I am sending six photos that include three pieces of apparatus and three stations.

That is all until tomorrow.

Day 5 - Cape Cod Area, MA

Hi guys. This is my second full day in the Cape Cod area. I have not been blessed with good weather. It has been foggy in the mornings and cloudy the rest of the day. Only brief patches of sun. We are scheduled to receive remnants of Hurricane Ivan Friday night. Despite the fact that it is off season, traffic is still very heavy. Most of the roads are two lane with no turning lanes. With speeds around 45 mph, it is easy to miss a station and have no way to turn around for several miles. Although my wife is very patient with me, I try to not take advantage of that patience. As a result I have not spent as much time as I would have liked buffing.

We spent this day touring the seven communities that make up the Town of Barnstable. The communities are located in the center of the Cape. Most of the villages have their own Fire Departments with fully paid or combination departments. Ambulance service for the communities is operated by the Fire Department, based on what I have seen. There is a wide mix of apparatus in the stations with refurbed Maxims alongside with newer Pierce or E-One apparatus.

I have sent station photos from the communities of Centerville, Osterville,Marstons Mills,Barnstable Village,Mashpee, and Yarmouth. I hope finally get some apparatus photos tomorrow.

Day 6 - Cape Cod Area, MA

Hi guys. This is Friday's report as I am running a couple day's behind. We drove out Route 28 to the Eastern edge of the Cape. The trip started in Dennis with a stop in Harwich where I was able to get station shots of each. Both Dennis and Harwich operate from two stations and are fully paid. The Captain at the Harwich Station told me that the run with four shifts. We then drove to Chatham, where I was able to let my wife do some shopping in some of the quaint shops in the center of town. I walked to the Central fire station and photographed the station and E-186. We then stopped near the southern edge of the town and photographed the lighthouse. Chatham operates two stations with 3 engines and an ALS ambulance. Only the Central Station is staffed.

We then drove out to several spots on the Cape Cod National Seashore and shot several more lighthouses. One even has a golf course surrounding it. We stopped at Wellfleet Station 1 around lunchtime so I did not stop in. Wellfleet staffs the Main Station 24 hrs and operates two engines, one 75' aerial and one tanker. Wellfleet recently closed their second station due to staffing concerns.

At the tip of the Cape is Provincetown, where the Pilgrims actually landed before sailing to Plymouth. Provincetown Fire department operates 3 stations with very unique apparatus. Every truck is short wheelbase to navigate the narrow streets. Unfortunately, I was unable to get any shots of wither the stations or rigs. The street where two of the stations are located is so narrow and crowded that it was impossible to photograph.

On the way home, I located the New England Fire and History Museum that I planned to visit on Saturday. Located on Hwy 6a in Brewster, the Museum boasts several buildings of exhibits on 3.5 acres. Once again, I drove by the location and had to drive several miles to find a spot to turn around. We decided to turn in to the hotel early because of the impending storm.

Today's photos are the Chatham Lighthouse,Dennis Fire Station 1,Harwich Fire Station 1,Chatham E-186,Chatham Station 1, and Wellfleet Fire Station.

I hope that you enjoy the photos.

Day 7 - Cape Cod Area, MA

Hi guys. Although this is my summary for day 7, I have very little to report. For a couple of days I had heard the weather reports that said that we would receive heavy rain from Hurricane Ivan on Friday night. It seems as if the forecast was a couple hours off. The rain started about 9:00 and continued most of the day. Now I will take apparatus photos in just about any condition, but the rain was too heavy at times to even step outside. In fact, about the only time I stepped out was when the fire alarm went off at midnight. We left on Sunday for three days in Boston. Today's photos were taken on Friday.

I hope that you enjoy the photos.

Day 8 - Boston, MA

On Sunday morning, we left the Cape Cod area with the sun shinning for the first time in the four days that we were there. I have been trying to stay away from the freeway whenever I can, so I decided to drive up to Boston on Hwy 3. The route would take me through Plymouth MA. This is the spot made famous by the Pilgrims when they landed there after they had already landed at what is now Provincetown MA. From Plymouth we drove through Weymouth and Quincy, before entering Boston in the Dorchester area.

The first station I came upon was E-20's house on Neponset Ave. With E-20 sitting on the pad in the sun, my luck had finally turned. The problem was that the station was across the street from a ball field with multiple games going on. After a few turns, I found a place to park that blocked a driveway. Normally I would not think of parking like that, but I was in Boston after all. I was able to take a shot of the apparatus and the station and talked to a FF who showed me the apparatus, including all the terrorism and hazmat equipment that they have not yet been trained to use.

With Juli navigating, we left for the next station on a loose route to the Beacon Hill area. We quickly found E-18's house with L-6. I was learning for myself what others had told me was that parking was non existent and the aprons in front of the stations was small.

I saw that we were close to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market so we hiked over and shopped for a while. The mall was very crowded and with the sun going down, I decided that we should start heading back to the van. We found our way back and went to the hotel with big plans for the next day.

I have four station photos and one apparatus photo for you today. I hope that you enjoy them.

Day 9 - Boston, MA

Hi guys. This is my first full day in Boston. Boy did I underestimate the traffic situation. We started our day at Revere Central Station and took a station shot. We then headed over to nearby Malden and were able to photograph the Central Station. There was a Fire Alarm cherry picker type truck that we in the Midwest never see. Unfortunately it was parked in between two vehicles.

We intended to visit the Back Bay-Beacon Hill area and drove around for about an hour looking for a place to park. Now most of you know that I travel with a full size van. I looked for ramp parking, street parking and lot parking to no avail. I finally found a spot about a mile away from where I wanted to be. While in the Beacon Hill area, I found a retired Boston Station on Mt Vernon off of Charles St. I could not find what station it was. E-4's house is also in the Beacon Hill area but we got sidetracked and did not get over there. We were parked near E-33's House and were able to get both a Station and Engine picture. I had to take several shots of the station before I got one without a car in it. The only reason I got the apparatus photo was that they were leaving on a run and the traffic actually stopped.

We decided to get back in the van and try to catch a couple of station shots in Cambridge. I could find the stations OK but the same problem of finding a parking spot near the station frustrated me to the point of heading back to the hotel. Cambridge is tentatively the sight of the 2007 IFBA Convention but I am not sure if I will be coming back. I have six photos for you including the Salem Central Station that was taken on another day.

I hope that you enjoy the photos.

Day 10 - Boston Area

Hi guy's. This is Tuesday's report. After one day in Boston, I decided that I needed a break from the traffic. We decided to head out to Gloucester and Salem for the day and see the sights. But first I decided to try and get to four of the stations in Revere. We first stopped at the Central Station HQ on Broadway and found that they were cleaning the floors and the apparatus was parked outside. I took my pics and found out from the Lt. that they should be doing the same at all of the stations. I headed east as the other three stations are along the east edge of the city. The Beachmont Station was my next stop and I was able to photograph both the station and Engine 3 and get out of the area before the Traffic Control Officer gave me a ticket. I quickly stopped at the Beach Station and the Freeman Station and was able to get both apparatus and station shots.

The Revere Fire Department was organized in 1885 and now has about 100 members. The department responds to about 6000 calls for service from four stations with four Engines and two Ladders. Recently the department hired 14 Firefighters, but they were used to replace those who had retired. During the early 1980's, the department had 144 members responding from five stations with five Engines and two Ladders. The same Lt. that I talked to said that there was talk about closing one of the stations on the east side and replacing it on the west side of the city. I had seen E-5 on a response the night before by my hotel and had commented that the distance seemed to be long.

I am sending photos of three of the four Revere stations and four apparatus shots. I hope that you enjoy the photos.

Day 11 - Boston Area

Hi guys. This is my last day in Boston. Frankly, I can not wait to leave. I pride myself on being able to read a map and having a good sense of direction. I did extensive research on the city and the department. But I have never been so frustrated by a city in my life. When I could find the stations, I could not find a place to park. More often than not,I found myself driving past them without stopping. Tomorrow, I will head up the coast of Maine on a Light House tour. Don't worry I save those photos in a different file.

We started our day by going to the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. We had to travel on part of the Big Dig tunnel while on South Bound I-93. I assured Juli that the tunnel we were in was not the one that is leaking so she allowed me to take that route. Located on the waterfront of Massachusetts Bay, the museum is a beautiful building that chronicles the life of the President from childhood to his death in 1963. We spent two hours at the museum and then I decided to spend the rest of the day trying to track down some Stations.

I Intended on starting with the stations closest to the museum and tried to work our way back towards the hotel. We found E-21's house and I took a station shot. We then headed to E-24's and E-52's houses. I had intended to get a few stations in the Roxbury area but traffic was starting to build so we changed plans and started north. Unfortunately, I got turned around again and ended up in South Boston. I took the opportunity to stop and photograph two houses in that area. While at Station 2, I saw a professional moving crew trying to move a large 6' tall TV cabinet down from the second floor deck of a building. They had a 30' extension ladder placed against the deck with one man on the ladder. Three others lifted the cabinet over the railing and were going to have the guy on the ladder lower it by using the ladder as a ramp. I wish that I would have had a movie camera with me. They decided at the last minute to rethink their plan. I never did find out if they got it down in one piece.

I shot 5 stations and 1 piece of apparatus today. I hope that you enjoy them.

Day 12 - Manchestwer, NH. Area

Greeting from Manchester NH. I am sorry that I have fallen farther behind on these reports, but I have spent the last two nights without internet service. I have been lucky in that the hotels that I have been staying have had WiFi Highspeed Internet Service. As a backup, I can use my cell phone. It seems as if the Cell Phone service in Northern Maine is lacking. In the past several days since I left Boston, I have traveled up the coast of Maine. We have spent nights in Freeport(which is the home of L.L. Bean), Bar Harbor and Augusta. We took a slow meandering route up the coastline stopping in Portsmouth NH and Kennebunkport ME. We tried to look up the former President, but he must be on the campaign trail. I now know why he spends time up there, it's beautiful.

We spent enough time in the Portland area to learn that it too is not accessible for my wife. I was able to shoot a couple of stations in both Portland and South Portland. The Portland Fire Department was founded in 1768 and currently has 232 Firefighters for a city of about 70,000 citizens. The department responded to about 22,000 calls for service in 2003 and responds with six Engines, four Ladders(quints), one Heavy Rescue and three Medic Ambulances. There are also several volunteer departments on islands near Portland. There are two Fireboats in the city, a 42 foot used for island medical emergency's. The primary fireboat, the "City of Portland" is a 65 foot boat which was built in 1959. The boat is powered by two Cummins Diesel engines and has two DeLaval fire pumps with a capacity of 3500 GPM each.

The City of South Portland has 75 fulltime employees operating out of three stations with two Engines, one Heavy Rescue, and two Ambulances . There is also a Paid on Call force of 60 that responds with four Engine companies and one Aerial from four stations.

I am sending seven photos today and will send another update later tonight to get caught up.

Day 13 - Portland, ME. Area

Hi guys. Here is the second batch of photos from the Portland Maine area. Two of Portland's Stations operate Quint apparatus along with Medic ambulances. The Brunswick Central Station was built in 1919 and modified in 1977 to accept the larger apparatus of the day. Current apparatus is specified to fit into the station. The Bath Fire Department is the home of the Bath Iron Works, one of the largest shipbuilders in the States. Freeport Maine is the home of L.L. Bean and 150 Retail Outlet Stores.

I hope that you enjoy the photos.

Day 14 - Manchester, NH. Area.

Hi guys. We are on the backside of a three week vacation to several New England states. I woke up in Manchester NH today intending to spend some time photographing their stations. Unfortunately, the remnants of another Hurricane changed my plans. Given all the problems that those in Florida have gone through in the last couple of months, I will take a little inconvenience. We quickly changed plans and headed to Vermont early.

We spent the weekend in Bar Harbor (pronounced Bah Habah) Maine. The town is on Mt. Desert Island and is the home of Acadia National Park. There are several small villages on the island, each with their own Fire Department. There is an interesting mix of modern and classic designs in the Fire Stations that I saw. Most of the departments are volunteer. At the Town Hill Fire Station, I could hear singing from the Sunday services in the Town Hall behind the station. This town hall looks suspiciously like a church.

We passed through Bangor Maine on the way to our hotel on Sunday night. The Bangor Hose 5 Museum is housed in a former Bangor Station that was built in 1897 and in service for almost 100 years. The Bangor Fire Department protects a city of about 60,000 people out of three stations. The 88 firefighters work 42 hour work weeks, which seems to be more common on the east coast than other regions of the country. The Central Station houses Engine's 1, 2, Ladder 1, and a Medic unit.

That is all for tonight. I hope that you enjoy the photos.

Day 15 - Southwestern, NY. Area.

Hi guys from Southwestern New York. I am on my way home and left Burlington VT this morning. I should take about two more days to get home. If these reports seem disorganized, I apologize. It is more time consuming than I envisioned and I got a couple days behind early on. I have been trying to remember everything that happened on the days that I take the photos, but I must be getting old. I think that I should get a micro recorder like my friend Jack Mersereau carries.

These photos were taken on Tuesday and Wednesday in New Hampshire and Vermont. We continued the theme of this trip by taking the small scenic roads and avoiding the freeways whenever we could. We were treated to small quaint villages and sights like covered bridges, town squares, and slow paced lives. There were also plenty of opportunities to photograph fire stations, as they were always on the main street.

As you can see by these photos, the prevalence of classic architecture Fire Stations far outnumbers the newer style that we see in the Twin Cities. There were several stations where apparatus had to be specifically designed to fit in the stations. The station in Keene, NH was built in 1885 and has limitations on what apparatus can be stored there. The department is currently studying the possible replacement of the station. In Barre VT, a petition to stop construction of a new 3.9 million dollar public safety center has been presented to the city council. It seems that in the early days after 9-11, the citizens approved the bond measure on the belief that Federal grants would cover part of the cost of the building. Now that it has become apparent that the city will pay the entire bill, there are some that are saying that the city can not afford the cost.

I have sent seven photos for you tonight. I hope that you enjoy them.

Day 16 - Vermont Area.

Hi guys. We are just east of Gary IN for the night. We should be home on Saturday. We spent Wed afternoon in Burlington VT. On the shores of Lake Champlain, Burlington is Vermont's largest city with a population of 40,000. The 80 member department operates out of five stations in a city of a little over 10 square miles. The firefighters work a 24 on 48 off schedule.

The Central station was built in 1926 and replaced the Ethan Allen Hose Company station in downtown Burlington. The current station features three working poles and houses four units. Engine One, Tower One,Rescue One and Car 12 are housed at the Central Station. Station three, built in 1895 houses an Engine that was designed to fit through the doors. The station was originally constructed with two bays and living quarters on the second floor. Currently, the living quarters are on the first floor where the stable was.

The department recently received a large apparatus order. Engine One and Engine Four are identical 2003 E-One Rescue pumpers with 2000 GPM pumps, 750 Gallon tanks, and Onan Generators. Engine Two is a 2003 E-One 75' aerial with a 2000 GPM pump, 500 Gallon tank, and a 8KW Onan Generator. Tower 1 was received in February of this year and is a E-One 95' Midmount Tower with a 2000 GPM pump, and a 400 gallon tank. Rescue One was received from Road Rescue in 2002 and Car 12 is a 2003 Expedition.

This will be my last report. My wife and I traveled 5000 miles on this trip. We zig-zaged our way across the States of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont over 15 days. I finally paid over $2.00 a gallon for gas. I photographed over 100 Fire Stations and saw but did not photograph at least that many more. We saw many historic sights and walked the Freedom Trail in Boston. I must say that I would not do well living in Boston but I really enjoyed the Coast of Maine. I want to thank the EAATC Webmaster, Dave Freedman, who posts these reports on one of the finest Web-sites dedicated to fire buffing. I also wish to thank Steve Skaar for helping me with programming the scanner and with department rosters and maps.

I am sending seven photos today. I hope that you enjoy them.

Thanks,
John