Fire Engine

 museum, fire service, display

On 11 July 1942, the U.S. Forest Service transfered this 1942 Ford pumper to the War Relocation Authority for use by the Manzanar internees.
A second truck, a Dodge, was added to the Manzanar fire service on 3 April 1943.
Both trucks were rated at 500 gallons per minute.
When fully implemented, the fire service consisted of a (non-Japanese) Fire Chief, three (non-Japanese) Fire Captains and 30 Japanese-American firemen.
Full-time fire duty was split among three eight-hour shifts.
If needed, volunteer firefighters were also available.
Between 1942 and 1945, the Manzanar Fire Department responded to about 90 minor fires in various structures, as well as grass and brush fires.
The only really large fire occurred 28 July 1944 during a stong south wind, and warehouses No.33, No.34 and No.35 were destroyed.
After the war, this Ford fire engine was used for many years by the Bishop Fire Department. They expanded the bed and added the ladder some time in the 1950s.
In the late 1990s the truck was acquired by the National Park Service and brought back to Manzanar for restoration and display.