Pictorial Travel Diary - Day 2 - Manzanar Fire Truck

Pictorial Travel Diary - Day 2 - Manzanar Fire Truck
Originally uploaded by Nana S

"MANZANAR
1942 Ford Fire Engine
Early fire protection equipment at Manzanar was limited to garden hoses, water buckets, shoves, and eventually hydrants.

On July 11, 1942, the U.S. Forest Service provided this 1942 Ford V-8 pumper with a capacity of 500 gallons per minute. A second Dodge fire truck (pictured at right) arrived on April 3, 1943, adding an additional 500 gallon capacity.

The fire department was located one block north of here, where you can still see a large cement slab. The fire crew included a fire chief, three Caucasian captains and thirty Japanese American firemen split among three eight hour shifts. The crew doubled with the addition of volunteer firefighters.

Between 1942 and 1945, the fire department responded to nearly 100 fires in mess halls, barracks, and service buildings as well as grass and brush fires. On July 28, 1944, Manzanar’s only large fire occurred, destroying warehouses 33, 34, and 35. A strong south wind which drove the flames toward Block 4 as internees and camp staff rushed to wet down the roofs of their barracks and other nearby buildings.

After the war, this fire truck was used by the Bishop Fire Department for many years. They expanded the bed and added the ladder in the 1960s. The truck was acquired by the National Park Service in the 1990s and today is used for parades and special events."