By Beverly Clinkingbeard

If it were a children’s story, surely it would begin with, “Once upon a time there was a little fire truck . . .”

It was August of 1949 and a front page news item of the Tarkio Avalanche read, “Westboro Obtains New Fire Truck. One of the community betterment projects initiated by the Lions Club was recently realized when the community fire truck association made the purchase of a new fire truck.”

Organization for a new truck had begun some months before. Todd Macrander served as president, Leo Johnston as vice-president, and Dean Tiemann as secretary-treasurer. A board of directors was Fred Beck, William Harris, and Ed Tiemann. Lloyd Brewer was named new fire chief and the crew would be made up of volunteers, as it is yet today.

The title for a Chevrolet, 2-speed axel truck, equipped with the latest fire-fighting tools, was purchased from the Herman Brown Co., Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Tiemann gave them a check for $6,275.25 dated June 29, 1949. It was money gathered from among the townspeople and area farmers.

Perhaps a catalyst for and a realization of the inadequacy of the area’s fire protection may have been realized in January of 1949. The Hall family had a tragic accident as, “Mrs. Hall attempted to build a fire in the kitchen range.” Later, it was believed “the (kerosene) can may have contained gasoline.” Frances, a sixth grader at Eureka School, held her baby sister, Linda. They were seeking warmth near the stove and were severely burned when flames shot into the air, as was Mrs. Hall, when she poured fuel on hot embers. The house didn’t burn. The girls are buried at Center Grove Cemetery. Mrs. Hall recovered from her burns.

By today’s standards of equipment and communication, the new Westboro Fire Department was out-moded. When a fire call came, and the town fire whistle blew, the central office was the information bearer. Central Lady would meet the firemen (at that time the station was across the street from central office) and give the firemen their destination. Over the years, the little fire truck answered many fires – the theatre burned in Tarkio, the fire at Tarkio College building and Mule Barn, the McEnaney home, the McColl house, the Ridgeway-Thurman fire, the Martin house that was struck by lightning, the list goes on. The little truck served the growing fire department well, but new equipment and vehicles were added and by 1994 the fire station was crowded. The little fire engine had gradually been replaced with newer vehicles and now it served mainly as a parade truck.

That’s when Wayne Nelson (who was fire chief at the time and a neighbor who helped the Hall family to the hospital) gave Donald Lee and (the late) Nancy Martin a phone call. The Martins were out of town at the time. Mr. Nelson said there was an interested buyer for the little truck, but the fire department crew thought they’d like to keep the truck local. Nancy (Clement) Martin bought the truck for $1,000.00. Nancy’s father, Charles “Froggy” Clement, and her husband, Donald Lee, served as volunteer firemen.

Picking up on the “Once upon a time…” story theme, it could go something like…“The little truck was backed into a shed. The shed was dark and quiet. The little truck waited and waited, and waited some more, until one day, 30 years later, the door opened, and volunteer firemen pushed it out into the sunlight. The little truck blinked. It had become covered with dust while waiting, so the firemen gave it a good wash, and the little truck gleamed. The firemen agreed the little truck would need some mechanical tender-loving-attention, but over-all, the firemen were delighted with the condition of the little truck. They hauled the little truck to a big brand new fire station, the likes of which the little fire truck couldn’t ever have imagined! They parked the little fire engine in the big fire station beside big new trucks. It was decided that someday soon the little fire truck will once again be a parade truck and perhaps a school visitor. The firemen were pleased and the little truck was very pleased, and they lived happily ever after.  The End.”

More of the story is that Dean Hall served many years as fire chief, and his son, Jeff, is a volunteer fireman. Dean was a small boy at the time of the fire. The heirs of the little fire truck are Nancy’s husband, Donald Lee, and daughter, Jo Smith. They sold the little fire engine back to the Westboro Fire Department for what Nancy had bought it for:  $1,000.00.

(An added note: A list of firemen is not mentioned in the probability someone would be omitted, however, the Fire Chief today is Ronnie Bruce and Assistant Fire Chief is “Chic” Stevens and there are 18 volunteer firemen. A collective thank you for the time and effort YOU, Mr. Firemen, give the community. When flames leap in the air and the smoke rolls, any one that has waited for the arrival of a fire truck understands what value a fire department is.)

’Til next time.