Vintage 1948 fire truck comes home to Westville

The town of Westville, N.S., is heralding the return of a relic from the past.

A 71-year-old fire truck affectionately named the "Old 48" was spotted on Kijiji by Rhonda Cougais' step-daughter, and the family has since purchased the truck for the local fire department.

Cougais told CBC's Information Morning her initial reaction to the post was a joke.

"It still had Westville on it, and I'm like, 'Oh my heavens, we have to buy it,'" she said with a laugh.

Then she decided to spend the $5,000 to bring the truck home to Pictou County.

"The fire department is doing so much, why don't we do something for the fire department?" she said.

Cougais contacted firefighter Bill Chance, who spoke with the department chief.

Chance said the truck is a 1948 GMC American-LaFrance. It carries about 730 metres of hose and 150 gallons of water.

"The old legion when it burnt back in '74 was the last time it was called in to do anything," he said. "It was top of the line for the year when it was brought in."

How the truck ended up in Ontario

The truck was eventually retired and sold from buyer to buyer, until it ended up in an Ontario barn.

After Cougais contacted the Westville department, they contacted the Kijiji seller to explain the situation.

"I basically reached right out to the owner of the truck and said, 'Listen, this is our old truck, would you be able to provide me with some pictures of what the truck looks like now?'" said Chance. "It was pretty exciting to see our piece of history that is still in one piece."

While the truck won't be attending fires in the area, it will be on display for residents to enjoy.

Chance said the first big occasion is a local car show in September.

Cougais said the truck is in "fabulous" condition.

"It was really emotional to see it, that it was in such fine shape and you could picture it back in its day," said Cougais.

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