In 1979 London purchased these two rigs from King Seagrave for the total price of $65,000 …. for both. These 1979 International/King Seagrave rigs were built as demonstrators for the Ontario Government. Equipped with AWD, a 625 IGPM front mounted pump and a 700-gallon tank, they were rejected by the province. In an effort to get better protection for the west end of the city that had been particularly hard hit by winter storms a couple years running, the city purchased them and placed them into service at Station’s 3 and 8. But they were ill suited for heavy urban service. The tanks had holes cut into them at the 500-gallon mark as otherwise the trucks were too heavy. And the front mounted pumps were prone to freezing up. It is my understanding that it became a normal procedure at Station 8 to have the engine lay from the hydrant and Truck 8 would pump. They had a relatively short career.
To find out more about the London Fire Fighters vehicles, click here. To discover more about these specific vehicles or about the vehicles that worked under the Engine 3 or Engine 8 designations, use the tags below.
