Bloomington Yesterday: Fire trucks

Rescue is one of the most important roles in a fire department. To save people from fires, fire departments use trucks like a “fire engine” and lots of equipment. Over the past several decades, fire engines have advanced. The truck in the center of this photo is one of Bloomington Fire Department’s first acquired trucks. It was a 1946 Ford truck that was retrofitted with a 250 gallons per minute pump and a 500 gallon
water tank.

The city’s current fire trucks can pump 2,000 gallons of water per minute and carry a 750-gallon water tank. One thing that has not changed over the years is Bloomington firefighters’ dedication to serving their community.

Last month, WCCO featured two former Bloomington firefighters, Fred Fueker and Pete Heger, and told the story of how their discovery of an old Bloomington fire truck photo reconnected them. Give it a watch at blm.mn/wcco-bfd.