Lew Gracey is proud of his 38 years of service in the Chili Fire Department. His interest in fire equipment, however, was sparked long before he put on a uniform. In the 1920s Gracey traveled with the rest of his family to Port Washington, Long Island to take in the firemen's tournaments. His grandfather was a chief. As impressive as the displays of skill at the tournaments was the scenery he took in on the car ride. Towering and shiny Ahrens-Fox fire trucks would be parked in front of the stations with their golden fronts radiant in the sunlight. "As a little kid, these were huge," Gracey said. Some of that youthful excitement is still evident in Gracey's eyes when he thumbs through the many pages of a recent book he co-authored. "Antique Fire Apparatus of Western New York 1798-1978" is the culmination of a three-year road trip Gracey enjoyed with his wife, Jane. The project was initiated to promote awareness of the Society for Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motorized Fire Apparatus of America, an organization in which Gracey is active. At a meeting, Gracey suggested making a picture directory of antique trucks in the area. He sent out an initial survey and the response was surprising. "We began to find out that we had a lot of antique trucks in Western New York" Gracey said. This revelation led to a 13,000-mile voyage throughout the area taking in the sights and recording as many stories as possible. The book provides impressive detail on all sorts of antique equipment from trucks to hand pumpers. In the introduction to the book, Gracey and his fellow author, Jerry Clement (of the Hamlin Fire Department), provide the disclaimer that the book is not an exhaustive collection. "We offer this book not as a great reference guide, but rather as a book that will provide those interested in antique apparatus an enjoyable read," the authors write. However, it is difficult to imagine that Gracey left too many stones unturned in this book that offers more than 1,000 photos of about 450 antique pieces. For local residents there is a great deal of interesting historical references as well as a tribute to David "Scotty" Warthman, former Brockport fire chief. Gracey really enjoyed the process of collecting the information. "We had a great deal of fun doing this," Gracey recalls while flipping through the book. The couple scoured Western New York from fire hall to fire hall to record stories and take photos of antique fire equipment. They visited roughly 300 stations. Gracey took most of the photos himself and Jane helped by taking notes to record conversations along the way. There is no wonder that the duo worked so well together; they will be celebrating their forty-ninth anniversary soon. The couple was greeted at each stop with stories about restoration projects, tales on how fire departments originated, and anecdotes on emergency equipment that seemed to live up to supernatural expectations. "We didn't only hear stories of fire departments. We got stories of communities and how they were formed," Gracey said. Note: Contact Lew Gracey at 247-3393 to get an order form. Proceeds benefit SPAAMFAA. |
