Everyone loves fire trucks and the museum now has a very special one. It’s a Sicard Pyrene airport crash truck that was based at CFB Namao during the mid-1960s.
The truck was donated by Doug MacKenzie, of High River, Alberta. It is historically significant because it bears serial number “One.”
“He thought he was going to restore it,” says Doug’s brother, Brian, who accompanied the vehicle on its trip north to the museum. “[Doug] actually bought a second one shortly after, from the Cold Lake air base.”
“My mom says she should have bought me more toys when I was a kid, ” jokes Doug MacKenzie during a phone conversation. “It was an interesting piece and I am a mechanical kind of guy. So I thought, ‘This is going to be pretty cool.’ ”
That restoration never got underway. Recently, MacKenzie decided to donate one of the vehicles to our museum and the other one to the Reynolds Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin.
Our fire truck has a Pyrene, Rolls Royce-powered foam pumping system mounted on a Sicard chassis. It has six-wheel drive powered by a Waukesha V-8. The vehicle is parked behind the museum. Look for it to be on for display during special events.
Our thanks to Doug MacKenzie for the donation.
.