Decatur will lend antique fire truck for celebration

DECATUR — City Council members decided Feb. 13 to lend Decatur’s antique fire truck to the Bentonville Fire Department for that city’s sesquicentennial anniversary celebration.

According to Mayor Bob Tharp, rumors had circulated that the Bentonville Fire Department had reached out to the Decatur Fire Department asking to borrow the city’s 1917 American LaFrance fire truck, which currently is on display at the Decatur City Museum.

Decatur Fire Chief Joey Gunter approached the council to set the record straight.

“Deputy Chief Kevin Boydston from Bentonville Fire Department called [saying] that fire truck [in Decatur] is the first fire truck Bentonville bought in 1917,” Gunter said. “They have the second fire truck — which they bought in the 1930s — in their station, completely restored. They have a picture of [our] fire truck and their fire truck side by side in front of City Hall. And they want to recreate that picture for their 150th anniversary this year.”

Tharp said the fire truck is an asset to the city and he had concerns about lending the fire truck. In order to proceed, there must be stipulations in order to guarantee the preservation and condition of the fire truck, which is more than 100 years old.

“If we loan it out,” Tharp said, “we certainly don’t want to have it lost, either inadvertently or unintentionally, whatever. So, I think there should be some document that would have the VIN number, descriptions and photographs before we did this.”

In its current condition, the fire truck is not operational. Instead, it’s displayed on stilts to make it presentable at the Decatur museum.

“What their intentions are would be to come and get the truck … put it in an enclosed trailer, haul it to Bentonville, clean it up, make it presentable and recreate the picture,” Gunter said.

The Bentonville Fire Department offered to clean the truck and transport it back and forth to both locations. Also, the city of Decatur will receive a copy of the photo.

The council adopted a motion to lend the fire truck to the Bentonville Fire Department for the celebration.

“It sounds like an opportunity where we can be a good neighbor to the city of Bentonville,” Tharp said.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Daniel Bereznicki) A 1917 American LaFrance fire truck is currently on display at the Decatur City Museum.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Daniel Bereznicki) The American LaFrance Fire Engine Co. goes back to 1832. This makes it one of the oldest fire apparatus manufacturers in the United States.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Daniel Bereznicki) Details are shown of the fire truck on display at the museum.