About Us

News and Events

Documents and Links

Cabin History

Photography

Cabins for Sale

Donations

Home

Gertrude's Last Ride

On October 24, 2009 Dave brought the new Wildland engine to the Fire Barn for all the volunteers to see. The barn was 'de-junked' and lots of old treasures were unearthed. The next day, Dave drove Gertrude out of the canyon for the last time and she was sent off to Big Bear to be refurbished. Once the restoration is completed, she will make her debut at the California Fire Museum. Read more about Gertrude's journey on the California Fire Museum's Blog.

Thanks to all the HJ volunteers, cabin owners, Don from the Fire Museum, Brian who will do the restoration and the McKittrick's who volunteered their property for the day. We appreciate their efforts to ensure Gertrude received a proper farewell!

Slideshow will take a minute to load...

Gertrude in Tustin, CA

Gertrude (right) during her early days at the Red Hill station in Tustin. The Red Hill
Fire Department consisted of all volunteers until 1963 when the first paid firemen
were hired. The building was replaced by a newer station in the late
1970's after the OCFA assumed responsibility for the department.

Gertrude in South Laguna, CA

Gertrude (left) in South Laguna, 1969

More information about the above photo from Mike Palmer and Don Croucher:

The individuals are Captain Bob Schultz (Later Irvine Lake FS15) on the right and on the left is Engineer Larry Pride who came to Station 6 from the Airport Station. Larry was later recruited by the Australian Country Fire Service to come go to Australia as a career firefighter. They were assigned to B Shift at Station 6. Up to that time Station 6 had been a Volunteer Staffed Station until 1969.  When career personnel were added to supplement local volunteer firefighters in South Laguna unincorporated area, the station was staffed by two persons career crews, a Captain and an Engineer, but no firefighter.  The career crew was augmented on responses by the volunteers. These guys were the very first career crews at Station 6 in 1969.
 
·                     A Shift personnel were Captain Tom Ricker and Engineer Mike Palmer
·                     B Shift personnel were Captain Bob Schultz and Engineer Larry Pride
 
The apparatus assigned was the Crown fire engine, a GMC Rescue Squad and the GMC Brush Engine.  The GMC brush unit was a early 50's era flatbed truck that had been reconfigured into a pumper, by adding a skid mount pump, water tank and gear. In its prior life with the OCFD, this GMC was the truck that Orange County had used to carry the adobe bricks to the building sites where the county's old adobe fire stations were being built in the early 50's.  Mike identified stations at Red Hill, Los Alamitos and Cypress.