West Winfield Fire Department

Henry Hiteman Engine & Hose Co.

Organized April 6th 1906, West Winfield provides Fire & Rescue protection to a 15 mile rural residential area as well as ALS level EMS transport to a 250 square mile response area encompassing five fire districts. Forty active volunteers respond to an average of 400 alarms annually. West Winfield is known for having an assortment of new & used apparatus each of which has its’ own unique story (remember, every fire truck has a story!!)

Engine 128 - 1987 Ford F8000/1989 3-D Metals - 1250 gpm/1250 gal.

The first top mounted pump panel in Central New York, this rig was constructed on a 1987 chassis the vendor had available in order to meet the strict $100,000 budget the department had to work with. Built with a galvanneal body to resist rust in the harsh Central New York winters, it is equipped with a rear pre-connect outfitted with a piercing nozzle for use on mobile home fires.

Engine 129 - 1976 Seagrave 1500 gpm/750 gal.

Purchased in 1990 from River Edge, New Jersey, it features a bronze pump & fittings that was designed to resist rust when its’ former owner pumped out of the Hackensack River while drafting.   

Engine 110 - 1997 Freightliner FL106/Saulsbury 1500 gpm/2000 gal.

This rig features a two door extended cab with two side facing SCBA seats. While appearing to be blue in color, this rig is actually a very light shade of PURPLE. The color choice was not due to a clerical error or the loss of a bet but rather simply the department wanted something a little different. This rig certainly fits the definition of a “unyque fire truck” as it is the first & only PURPLE fire truck I have ever photographed in all my travels across the country.

Tanker 319 (“The Beast”) - 1999 Peterbilt/Osco Tank & Truck Sales 3500 gal.

This rig has quite an interesting story - it was the first NFPA compliant fire service tanker ever built by Osco which specializes in over-the-road trucks. The cab started life as an over the road tractor and after logging 300,000+ miles, the engine seized & was replaced with one from another tractor that was wrecked. Having never assembled an NFPA compliant tanker, the manufacturer consulted a member of West Winfield who was a former fire apparatus salesman to ensure they met the NFPA standard.

Special thanks to fellow firematic photographer John Kenealy of CNYFiretrucks.com for arranging the original photo shoot in 2009 as well as West Winfield Chief Kevin Brown, Deputy Chief Jim Murphy & FF/Ambulance Captain Shawn Murphy for their tremendous hospitality and assistance in positioning these rigs and providing background history on the department’s unique apparatus.

Truck 410 - 1965 Ford C/American Fire Apparatus 85’ Mid-Mount Ladder

Formerly serving nearby New York Mills, this rig was purchased for just $5,000 after the turntable and one entire side of rig was replaced after suffering damage from a wall collapse.

Click here to view the rest of West Winfield’s fleet including several antique rigs