BREA : Historic Fire Engine Getting a New Look

A 70-year-old city firetruck is slowly being restored by firefighters eager to preserve a piece of Brea history.

The 1923 Seagrave firetruck “is part of the city of Brea,” Fire Capt. David A. Mahlstede said one morning while polishing a headlight. “People are going to love it when it’s done.”

Mahlstede, who is in charge of the restoration project, began working on the old truck, which residents have come to know as “Old Susie,” three years ago.

With money donated by government, historical groups and private individuals in the last few years, he has restored the wooden ladder, made mechanical repairs and replaced hard-to-find parts.

When complete, changes to the battered truck will make it look exactly as it did when it was new, Mahlstede said.

But the process is slow because funds for the estimated $40,000 arrive in a trickle.

Mahlstede anticipates completing the project in 1995.

He is trying to raise $15,000 to paint the truck its original color--cardinal red--with gold striping.

The paint job will include reproductions of two paintings of ships in the harbor that were on the sides of the truck.

Folklore has it that a homeless man painted the pictures in exchange for a hot meal and a place to sleep for the night, said Jane O’Brien, president of the Brea Historical Society.

She said the firetruck brings back memories for residents as well as the firefighters who used it until 1964, when it was semi-retired to be showcased in parades and exhibitions.

O’Brien said the Seagrave was used to extinguish the city’s largest fire in April, 1926.

Lightning struck an oil tank at an oil processing facility during a thunderstorm, causing an explosion.

“Old Susie is a very important part of the town’s history,” she said. “It’s important to restore this old truck because it keeps up our small town atmosphere and warmth. Someday it may be used again. Who knows?”

But fire officials said the truck will continue doing what it does now--cruising in parades and traveling to the city’s schools so children can learn about it.

“There’s still a lot of old-timers here in Brea who see it and remember when it actually used to respond to fires,” Mahlstede said. “And when it’s all finished, little kids will see it and say, ‘There’s Old Susie. It finally got restored.’ ”

Mahlstede still has a long way to go, however. Only about $1,000 of the $15,000 needed for the paint job has been collected so far.

O’Brien has been carrying around a pair of oversized galoshes that firefighters use to collect money for the project at City Council meetings and other events such as fairs.

“If every citizen in Brea gave a dollar, we’d have the money,” he said.

“There’s a lot of interest in the community to see the truck restored,” Division Chief Dave Huffman said.

“We’ve had that rig a long time, and people like to look at old fire engines. It’s kind of a symbol of Brea’s past, and there’s a certain romance with that.”

Voloney Siebenthal, one of the first firefighters in the city, said he can’t wait to see it the way it looked in the 1920s.

“It’s a valuable thing,” the 87-year-old Brea resident said. “I drove it from 1929 to 1966. It would pump out 750 gallons of water a minute. It’s really worth saving.”