In 1975, the Flower Mound Fire Department acquired its first fire vehicle – a 1942 Mack Fire Engine from the Department of Defense. 50 years later, the engine is under restoration and the Flower Mound Summit Club will pledge $2,000 to the effort.
Engine 343 was put out of commission, but was held onto by a previous member of the department, according to the engine’s website.
In 2012, the restoration process started. The engine’s original number was 343, however, it was also the exact number of firefighters lost in the 9/11 terrorist attack, which has given the number a deeper meaning.
“We want it to be a rolling piece of memorabilia to commemorate and honor those that have fallen before us,” said Julian Pastrana, a member of the Flower Mound Fire Department that took over the project in December. “It was a crazy coincidence, but it’s been more motivation for us to get it done to honor all first responders.”
Before Easter, the Flower Mound Summit Club cooked and sold 64 spiral cut hams and raised $2,000 to help the restoration effort.
“Our town is incredibly fortunate to have the caliber of firefighters we do and any time the Summit Club can help support them, we are happy to help,” said Summit Club President Don McDaniel. “We’ve been aware of the Engine 343 Restoration for a number of years now and we wanted to find a way to contribute to the project in a way that was above and beyond our regular grants. Smoking hams for Easter seemed like a great way to do that and we were blessed to raise more than $2,000 to help the project along.”
Pastrana said the community’s support, including the Summit Club, has been important to the goal of using the engine to give back to the community.
“It’s a really neat piece of history for the community,” he said. “For them to be a part of it and contribute is really special, especially because they will be able to enjoy the fruits of the results.”
The department has plans to bring the restored engine out for parades and community events like Independence Fest. It will also be showed off at the fire department’s open house.
McDaniel said it’s a good cause to donate to, especially when the Summit Club is focused on giving back to the community and supporting its first responders.
“Serving Flower Mound is a DNA strand the Summit Club shares with each of the town’s firefighters,” he said. “It’s always special when we can give something back to our community and especially when we can support a group that so strongly lives into our own mission of ‘community leadership through community service’.”
The restoration group plans to set up a booth at Independence Fest this year. If it is feasible, the engine will make an appearance, as well, so people can take photos and learn more about it.
Pastrana said they are working on a raffle or auction, but will for sure be accepting donations.
They’ll attempt to put the engine on display again at the department’s open house event in October, along with a booth.
“That’s a big community event and there are a lot of people that come to attend and enjoy all the festivities,” said Pastrana.
This year, Pastrana is focused on raising funds so the engine can get work done at a shop. To help contribute to the project, or learn more about it, visit its website.
The $2,000 check will be presented by the Summit Club on Saturday.
