Malone’s First Fire Truck
By: Shelia Mader
Malone Volunteer Fire Department is getting closer and closer to a brand-new fire station. And everyone knows it’s not a minute too soon. When the story of Malone’s new firetruck made the front page of the Times in July, we received an email thanking us for the coverage and giving kudos to the many faithful volunteer firemen that were always ready to answer a call.
The firetruck in the picture is a 1940 model Seagrave, military surplus from Camp Blanding in Jacksonville. John Williams was the gentleman full of this awesome information. He said the truck lasted about 25 years and told another story that occurred right after the purchase of their ‘new to them’ firetruck.
“One of the many Malone firetruck stories happened right after the purchase of their new to them fire truck. Malone had relied on Marianna for fire protection for years and Graham Air Base had loaned them a pre-WW2 surplus truck that would never run. When they received their new truck they were eager to help other communities. The call came one morning of a fire at Graham Air Base. One of the merchants who was designated as the Chief of MVFD took the call. He called my dad, they took off. As they approached the entrance to the Base, they could see the smoke and the crowd. A couple of fire trucks were parked at the entrance which they thought was odd. As they rolled past the other trucks, my dad said they hit the brakes, and the pedal went to the floor. No Brakes so the truck was rolling towards the fire. The hottest part of the fire was a large propane tank which had ignited,” Williams told. “They knew from experience that if you put water on the tank, it would cool, and the gas would shut off. That’s what they did, and they became heroes.”
He said later on in a ceremony the commander of the base awarded the City of Malone a $100 check for saving the building. As they were awarded the check they were asked if they had anything to say. Williams said his daddy grabbed the check and said, “The first thing we are going to do is fix the brakes on our truck.”
They both said later it was a horrible experience heading into the fire unable to stop. But thankfully the emergency brake worked.
Malone Volunteer Firemen have gone through lots of changes since that time, but one thing that remains constant is their dedication to their town, the county and their willingness to always answer the call.
