Shadow Shot Sunday 2 - Fire Museum

1982 American LaFrance, built in Elmira, New York

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 is back, and weekly shadow hunting is a must for this weekend meme.Last week, Patti and I were invited to the soft opening of the new Ansonia (Connecticut) Fire Museum, a very unique and local one set in our small city. Given our size (19,000), this is a fine one, showcasing our history of fire fighting. Given that there were no benefactors, the work, dedication and passion of the local volunteer department has led to a magnificent look at our history.

1962 American LaFrance

1946 Mack, built in Allentown Pennsylvania

There are several old trucks sitting inside this building, the old machine shop in the original school. We see in these three vehicles the improvements over the three years from open cabs to now enclosed and safer places for the ride to the fires. There was talk of replacing the old wood floor, but those familiar with restoration were concerned with the oil soaked wood. Instead, the stained floor reflects the many eras of hard work above them. An honest style that I hope is not restored...

A final look through the historic Ansonia photos brought the real, in the day and now old school fire apparatus. This of course are the two-horsepower equine engines known as Mollie and Dollie. The technology has gone a long way from the old to the new. A great small city museum of which we are all proud...see more shadowy art at SSS2!

Tina's Pic Story - Emergency 'E'

Tina's Pic Story allows us to take photos, not randomly but to follow Tina's weekly theme, which this week is the letter 'E'.

Today I look to vehicles that respond to Emergency situations, so have chosen a couple of fire trucks, one newer and enormous and one old and not so much, both part Webster Hose Company 3 in Ansonia.
The big one is a Pierce, purchased by Ansonia new in 2009, and huge. It carries the six fire fighters safely inside and pumps plenty of water onto the flames. 

I hope that I never need their services...the old one is is a local museum and is a Mack and was purchased by the city in 1946. Not as enormous, but it was once elemental is arriving at emergencies. So the letter 'E' is here, happily without emergencies now...

Ruby Tuesday 2 - Fire protection past-present

Ruby Tuesday 2 is back, and we look for rubies in small or large doses, and even in different eras...Patti and I were in a new attraction in our small (19,000) city, the Ansonia Fire Museum built as part of an old and now restored school. Though not open to the public yet, we were on an informal tour of the great displays of trucks and firefighter gear.

This picture jumped at me - a late 19th century horse-drawn fire wagon in the foreground from Webster Hose Company. The red sits all over this classic apparatus. Behind is something completely different in era - a modern fire suppression system. The differences from horse-drawn to computerized is cool, the way once good enough then to state of the art now I find intriguing. With plenty of red to capture our attention! See more ruby at RT2!