“Engine 51” and “Squad 51” replicas from the famed TV show Emergency! These videos we made are dedicated to our dear friend Mike Going who recently passed away. He put poured his heart into these rigs and had a passion for fire apparatus and fire service. Mike was in a tragic accident that left him in a wheelchair before he had a chance to serve as a firefighter, so he acquired, restored, and maintained these, and headed a nonprofit to bring awareness for burn victims for many years. Mike was such a positive person. He will be missed.
Over the last couple years, our friend Mike asked us to take care of his prized possessions: His 1972 Ward LaFrance, and his 1990 Dodge Rescue. You may notice these from the show Emergency! In the 1970s. While these are not vehicles used in the show, they are faithful replicas to the famous Engine 51 and Squad 51 from the show. Both have their own unique stories.
The Ward:
The Ward served in LA County into the 1990s. Mike shared with me that his friend from the LA County Fire Museum Paul Shafer helped hand select this specific Ward for him when it became available – it still carries the LA County Fire emblems in the cab! It features an 8.4 liter Cummins turbodiesel and an Allison HT470 transmission. When we first started working on it, it was leaking radiator fluid from some old hoses and fittings, and from the stainless-steel reservoir on the top. There is a transmission fluid leak as well that we should be able to fix soon. There are some deferred maintenance items that need to be addressed, both otherwise, it’s in excellent condition.
Engine 51 was taken to many local events during Mike’s ownership, but it slowed way down in recent years. So, when we needed to drive it, it was a bit unknown when it was last on the road. I mentioned in the video 10 years, but it was probably closer to 4. Despite sitting, the engine makes great power, the transmission shifts well, and the brakes are solid. It drives as well as a 1970s truck (namely, vague steering) so it was a bit difficult to keep it straight on the road. It was fun to see people smile and wave at it as we drove down the road. At first, I didn’t realize the air ride seat was in the farthest up position, so that was a challenge at first, but other that discover it was easier to drive than I thought. The transmission is interesting – there is a 1-2 selector, followed by a 3-4, 3-5, and 3-6. I was driving very carefully and was gentle on the throttle so I would always start it in 1-2, then go through the gears as I went.
The air horn, siren, lights etc all work, with the exception of the siren brake. We didn’t get a chance to run the pump since it’s been out of use for so long.
Squad 51:
For those who watched Emergency!, you will notice that this generation of Dodge is a bit different – it’s a generation or two newer. The cab and chassis started life with Lane County in their roads department, and the body originally came from an ambulance. Mike had a company cut the body into a rescue and mount it at some point, then filled it with all sorts of equipment. Even after spending quite some time going through everything, there are still new items that I find!
This Squad 51 is a 1990 Dodge D350 commercial chassis powered by a carbureted 318 V8. The first time I drove it, with Mike’s blessing, I took it into town for fuel because he said it was having a hard time running. Low fuel (and Chrysler electronics) were to blame. I took it up to my friend Ryan’s house and showed it off to his kids, and noticed it started to overheat when I was driving it back to the farm. Later I learned that the radiator had a decently-sized hole in it, which is now fixed. I also learned that that the inside tires on the back of the dually are likely original, or at the very least several decades old. Mike casually mentioned that when he said that the others had been replaced. They too are old, from 2001 and 2005 according to the date codes.
This apparatus also runs very well – it is a bit cold blooded because it’s carbureted but after it’s warm, it’s very smooth. When I drove it, the engine felt a little sluggish, and the brakes felt a little weak, which might be how these Dodge’s are normally in this era – but otherwise it’s great. All the lights, radios, sirens, etc all work. The only blemishes are a non-functioning odometer as well as a by-passed air conditioning system.
Summary:
In sum, it was an honor to work on these and I am thankful to have had a chance to drive them around a bit. Our current plan is to work to have these donated to the Oregon Fire Heritage Center at Powerland Antique Park in Brooks, Oregon. This process may take some time and while we wait, I will continue to faithfully maintain each of these until they are home.
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