The whole point of the US fire truck food truck, is that its, well, a fire truck. So most of what we have done with it has been aimed at theming around it being a firetruck.
When we officially launch it we will have some nice touches that match up with the theme. One of these will be our new work aprons. They are actually made form used fire fighter turn out gear. If you don’t know turn out gear is a term for the safety outfits they wear when attending a fire, or ‘turn out.’
We happened upon a Dutch based company, Remade Industries, that takes used fire equipment and repurposes it into things such as bags, oven mittens etc. And aprons. These are all unique, as they are made from different outfits cut in different ways, but they suit our theme to a T. Also being made from turn out gear, they are fire proof and tough.
Our Fire Fighter Turn Out Gear Apron
These are fabulous quality, and tick the environmental box as they are re using equipment. Oh, and we like the idea of them all having a history, like being used in real fires.
When we purchased our ex Evansville, Indiana USA fire truck, it came with a name proudly emblazoned upon the side. This was John W. Sanders II.
I did some research and actually made contact with the deputy fire chief of the department the truck had served in. He explained that in the US they name their appliances after deceased fire fighters. (Or local dignitaries or long serving fire chiefs if they are lucky enough not to have any deceased fire fighters when they buy a new truck).
We decided to keep the name the same, we felt that a bit like buying a boat, it might be bad luck to change it.
On the side of the fire truck are four holes where a plaque would have been mounted. This is usually along the lines of thanking the local mayor, council etc for raising the funds to buy the truck. This was obviously missing on ours so we had a replacement plate made. This is pictured below and carries the fireman’s prayer.
The Fire Fighters Prayer.
Written by Alvin William “Smokey” Linn, a fire fighter in Brunswick Maine. A man who’s life story is worth a read.
It is often accompanied by the Fire Fighters “Wife’s” prayer;
“The table’s set, the meal’s prepared, our guests will soon arrive My husband once more disappears with a hope of keeping a child alive.
While waiting at home alone, our plans having gone awry My first impulse is merely to sit right down and cry.
But soon again I realise the importance of my life When I agreed to take on the duties of being a fireman’s wife.
While there are many drawbacks, I’ll take them in my stride Knowing “My Daddy saved a life” our children can say with pride.
The gusting winds and raging flames may be his final fate But with God’s help I can remain my fireman’s faithful mate.”
We have spent the last 12 months or so working on converting our US Spartan firetruck into a street food unit. We are getting near to launch date and hope to have some exciting news shortly.
We like to thoroughly go through anything we acquire, and this has been no different. Having refurbed it mechanically, cleaned, polished and painted the engine, had a full service and added multiple food unit systems, we finally turned our attention to the cab area. As this is where i will be spending a large amount of time during the transport phase (we are driving it to events rather than trailering it), I decided that I would like it to be a little less utilitarian, and have some comforts such as cooling fans, good music, nicer upholstery etc. Oh and some drivers aid system wouldn’t go amiss such as help reversing etc. Our fire truck food truck is going to be one fabulous piece of kit.
Nicer Upholstery
I’ve always liked the diamond style stitching found on certain high end automobiles. To this end we had the roof and drivers seat recovered in black with red piping and red stitched diamonds. The dash and door panels have also been re trimmed but without the padded diamonds.
High End Music And Navigation
We started off with the installation of an Alpine Halo 11 inch media receiver. This takes care of the music playing, and adds Android auto to allow for satellite navigation. It also has the added bonus of connecting to our Amazon fire stuck, allowing movies to be played to ease our way through those long waits for site access etc.
Audison Audio tweeters mounted in the A pillars, and 4 Audison full range speakers mounted in the roof corners added a fabulous sound. Backed up by a large subwoofer mounted under the dash in a custom built diamond plate covered enclosure. Overall the cab is a much more pleasant environment with good music.
Drivers Aids
Being as big as it is, with poor visibility, left hand drive and a long front overhang, it was felt that anything to assist the driver was a worthwhile endeavour.
The first option we added was a 360 degree camera system. This filmed all around the truck, recording to an SSD. The system is quite clever in that putting the gearbox into reverse switches to an enlarged rear view. Similarly indicating either side switches to a side view. The Alpine music system is also connected to a low level reversing camera with a hitch guide, this similarly switches to a rear display on reverse.
A radar operated blind spot system was added that flashes a small but highly visible light in the A pillars when anything is overtaking either side. If you indicate to swap lanes and something is detected in overtaking it also pulses an alarm.
A Tyre Pal TPMS system takes care of tyre pressures and temps, handy considering fire trucks don’t come equipped with spare wheel carriers.
If we can find a reversing sensor system that integrates with the Alpine screen (they usually need CAN Bus systems which 1992 motors tend not to have), then we will look at adding that.
A pair of front mounted bumper poles help judge where the huge front bumper is sticking out to, and electronic tannoys that announce “This vehicle is reversing/Turning Left/ Turning Right” complete our current safety systems. The updated London regs require a front moving off alarm, so we might look at adding that at some point, even though we are exempt from the London regs.
As well as our fire truck food truck we have a range of classic and quirky vehicles for hire, from a Del Boy Trotter 3 wheel van coffee service to a classic Citroen HY churros unit.
Its been a long project. Longer than our usual food truck builds, but hey, its a lot bigger than our usual food trucks.
Our ex USA fire truck is almost ready for launch. We are trying it out at one of our regular jobs soon, and then might have some exciting news about a possible tour in conjunction with a quirky restaurant chain.
The first of the major funfair holiday events has just kicked off.
Easter Eggs
Of course everyone is aware of the tradition of giving eggs for Easter. But have you ever thought why?
Easter is a Christian festival, and for Christians giving eggs symbolises new life. It is claimed this practice started with the early Christians of Mesopotamia who stained birds eggs red in memory of the blood of Christ.
There is also an association in Western Christians not being allowed to eat eggs during Lent, but allowed them at Easter.
A common practice in medieval England was for children to go door to door begging for eggs on the Saturday before Lent. These were handed out as special treats.
I remember during my youth going door to door. Many of the elder generation would give us hard boiled eggs that had been painted. The better of neighbours actually gave us chocolate. Many would also press a few coppers on us, when you were five or six years old, the few pounds you accrued made you think you were rich.
Antiquity
It wasn’t an exclusively Christian thing though. London’s British Museum contains some large ostrich eggs that have been carved and painted. These have been found in tombs. After investigation it is believed that eggs like this can date back up to 5000 years, well before the Christian religion. And decorated eggs up to 60,000 years old have been discovered in Africa.
Chocolate Eggs
J.S. Fry and sons of England introduced their first chocolate egg in 1873, closely followed by Cadbury’s in 1875. Cadbury’s created the modern egg with the introduction of pure cocoa butter that could be moulded into hollow egg shapes. Now up to 80 million chocolate eggs are consumed in the UK alone. It’s nice to see the steady move away from plastic packaging to more environmentally friendly alternatives.
Faberge Eggs
Personally my favourite eggs are those produced by the Russian craftsman at Faberge for the last two Russian Tsars. Masterpieces of decorative art, many contain hidden surprises such as clockwork birds or miniature toys.
