Historic Photographs - Apparatus
1940s and earlier
The photos on this page are of apparatus that are no longer owned by the department. This page
contains apparatus which were manufactured prior to 1950.
These photos are reduced-size or cropped thumbnails. Click any photo with a
border to see the full-sized image.
Santa Clara County Fire Dept Archive
The Hedberg Volunteers, 1936. Chief J.N. Hedberg stands on the rear of the Chief's car at left.
The pumper was one of the few Pierce-Arrow fire engines that ever existed. As a community service, as
well as to publicize his business, Hedberg conceived the idea in 1930 of forming his own volunteer
fire department to offer some protection to the unincorporated rural areas around San Jose. Prior
to the formation of the County Central Fire District, such areas had no coverage at all.
Hedberg's own employees living near his shop became the first volunteers. They built their own
pumper, in the Hedberg shop, which lasted about six years; it had to be dragged to its last fire.
Its replacement was another Hedberg hybrid, one of the only Pierce-Arrow fire engines ever built
(Milwaukee had one for some years during the 1920s). For many years, rural fires on San Jose's
outskirts were fought by "The Hedberg Volunteer," who oftentimes arrived too late to do much good,
but nonetheless became a local institution.
Since about the late 1930s, the Hedberg Volunteers disappeared from the local scene. Hedberg died
in 1955, and his shop buildings on the Guadalupe Creek at 321 West Reed St, San Jose, became overgrown
with weeds and vines.
Santa Clara County Fire Dept Archive
Chemical Wagon? Ford Model T? Date unknown.
Santa Clara County Fire Dept Archive
Engine, 1920s? Date unknown.
photo: Dick Ravizza; Official Photograph Santa Clara County
Patrol 1 was a 1947 6 cylinder International pickup 1/2 ton, carrying 100 gallons of water and a 5gpm
high pressure pump. This vehicle was used by then Assistant Chief Luhring. Assistant Chief
Turner had a Dodge Powerwagon equipped the same for his use. Photo taken 7 Sep 1949.
Santa Clara County Fire Dept Archive
This is a 1936 White, used as a Civil Defense rescue unit in the 1950s and 1960s. Date unknown.
Wayne Sorenson Collection
This ex-military 1946 Dodge 4x4 was used as a brush fire rig.
Wayne Sorenson Collection
Ths 1948 White/Van Pelt had a 500gpm pump, a 40gpm high-pressure pump, and a 500 gallon tank. It
was eventually sold to Davis, California, in whos livery it is shown here.
Santa Clara County Fire Dept Archive
Engine 4, a 1948 White/Van Pelt, during a pump test. Date unknown.
from the collection of Jim Ackley
Engine 4, shown in a pre-delivery photo by the P. E. Van Pelt
fire apparatus & equipment company, Oakdale, CA. This rig was nicknamed
"The Big Belch", because after it's muffler dropped off, it was permanently
replaced by a large piece of pipe, creating a VERY loud exhaust.
from the collection of Jim Ackley
From a San Jose News clipping dated 6 December 1947:
The two fire trucks pictured above are combination high pressure fog fire fighters
built for the Central Fire Protection District of Santa Clara County by Bean-Cutler
Division of Food Machinery Corporation. Harry Engman of Food Machinery, left, turns
over the equipment fo Henry Lingua, Chief of the County Fire Protection, while
Commissioners, left to right, M.E. McCollam, C.W. Zanker, H.O. Fiebig and J.A. Mirrasou,
look on.
Not named in the article are FFs Burroughs (behind left engine) and Ackley (behind Engine 1,
right).
from the collection of Jim Ackley
Assistant Chief Fred Luhring prepares to set up the floodlight unit. The unit was equipped
with a generator and six 500-watt flood lamps. Photo from a4 July 1948 San Jose
Mercury News article.
from the collection of Jim Ackley
An early photo of one of County Fire's 2000 gallon tankers. At the wheel is Chief
Henry C. Lingua, speaking with drill master Orrin McAbee (former Chief of the
Cottage
Grove volunteer department), left, and FF Bruce Gammon, engine driver, right. Photo from a
4 July 1948 San Jose Mercury News article.
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