The First Apparatus
Between 1865 and 1898, the Fire & Flue Committee along with townspeople used bucket brigades to fight fires. Once 1898 rolled around, the first piece of equipment was acquired.
The first apparatus was a horse-drawn hand pumper and while not entirely confirmed, based on research is believed to be an 1890 Howe Apparatus pumper that yielded a 30-gallon tank.
Engine 1
Sparta Fire Department received its first motor driven apparatus in 1922. This apparatus surprisingly carried no water and instead had a chemical reservoir that mixed with the pumped in water for suppression.
The Chassis was a Lyle & Lyle Graham Brothers Dodge 1-Ton truck while the body and equipment was fabricated by the General Manufacturing Company native to Sparta. Total cost for the apparatus was $3,177.53.
Engine 2
Engine 2 was a 1927 Dodge, and was the first motor driven apparatus for Sparta Fire to carry water. It was equipped with a 200 gallon tank as well as a 500 GPM (Gallons Per Minute) pump. It was later sold to Willisville Fire Department in 1946.
Engine 3
Engine 3 was the fourth piece of equipment in total that was purchased for Sparta Fire Department. The 1936 Ford carried 250 gallons of water and had a 500 GPM pump.
The Chassis was built by Boedeker-Conner Motor Company and the bodywork was completed by W.S. Darley Company in Chicago. Total cost for the apparatus was $2641.
Engine 5
In 1946 it was decided to skip the Engine 4 designation in order to properly include the first apparatus in the equipment count. That year, Engine 5, a 1946 Chevrolet was purchased to supplement the fleet and continue progressing with updated technology. The chassis was purchased from Sparta Motor Company and the equipment & body work was completed by Central Fire Truck Corporation out of St. Louis, Missouri for a total cost of $4,373.
While the exact specifications of the tank and pump aren’t available, the common installation for that time period was a 500 GPM pump and a 300-500 gallon tank.
Car 6
Car six, while the records on it are minimal was purchased in 1950 from George Iker for $250 and was the departments first emergency response vehicle. The first response made by this apparatus was to a drowning at Midtown Country Club, which that event lead to a feature mention in Fire Engineering magazine.
Engine 7
Engine 7 was purchased in 1960 from Svanda-Meyer in Sparta with the bodywork done by Towers Apparatus in Freeburg, IL for a total cost of $13,366.84.
This apparatus boasted a newer 750 GPM front-mount pump and a 500 gallon tank in the rear.
Rescue 8
Rescue 8 was a unique apparatus for Sparta Fire Department. As a repurposed 1950 bread truck, No. 8 was used as the primary response for a multitude of scenarios and even carried a reflective thermal suit commonly seen now in aircraft firefighting. Rescue 8 was purchased for $1,600 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Engine 9
In 1964, the City of Sparta purchased Engine 9, a 1964 Chevrolet chassis from Svanda-Meyer. Bidding was received on the body and equipment from both Towers Apparatus in Freeburg as well as Central Fire Apparatus in St. Louis with Towers ultimately winning the bidding. Total cost of the apparatus was $21,243 and carried a 750 GPM front mount pump and a 750 gallon tank. Engine 9 remained in service through 1989.
Rescue 10
in 1967, the City of Sparta received a 3/4 ton Ford Pickup that was decided to be used as an emergency vehicle. C. Cowell Ford of Sparta was awarded a bid to equip the truck for a total cost of $1,944.61. Originally fitted with a shell on the back to house equipment, later the truck was turned into a quick response hose apparatus as shown here, equipped with a 750 GPM deluge gun.
Engine 11
Engine 11 was purchased in 1974 and was a 1974 Ford chassis purchased from C. Cowell Ford with the body being built at Towers Fire Apparatus in Freeburg, IL. Total cost of the apparatus and equipment was $74,000. The apparatus carried a new 1000 GPM front mount pump and a 750 gallon tank.
Rescue 12
Rescue 12 was a 1979 Chevrolet, built and bought direct from Towers Apparatus in Freeburg, IL for a cost of $28,688. While looking for a separate apparatus, the City of Sparta found this one pre-made for another department who ended up deciding not to purchase it. This move allowed Sparta Fire Department to quickly put it into service.
Tanker 13
Tanker 13 was a converted cement truck purchased for $900. Prior to the purchase of this apparatus, water had to be shuttled with the pumping engines on out of town calls. This apparatus though boasted a 3000 gallon tank built in Marissa, IL while the rest of the apparatus was hand fabricated by the firefighters themselves. A portable tank was added to the side as well as a portable pump added to the front mount.
Engine 14
Engine 14 was a 1983 Ford Pumper purchased from the C. Cowell Ford dealership in Sparta and outfitted at Towers Fire Apparatus in Freeburg, IL for a total cost of $83,000. Engine 14 was the first apparatus in the fleet to include a jump cab, allowing the firemen to don breathing apparatus while enroute to a fire. Prior to this, they had to ride the rear of the apparatus. Engine 14 was equipped with a 1000 GPM front-mount pump and a 1000 gallon tank. The front-mount pump also could be engaged independently of the transmission so it could pump, and roll simultaneously. Engine 14 remained in service until 2022.
Ladder 15
Ladder 15 was a 1989 Ford purchased from Broadway Ford in St. Louis, Missouri and built out by Towers Apparatus in Freeburg, IL. Similar to Engine 14, Ladder 15 featured a jump cab, a 1000 GPM front-mount pump, a 600 gallon tank as well as a 55 foot aerial ladder with a 1000 GPM nozzle at the end built in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The total cost of the apparatus was $176,000. Ladder 15 was in service until 2008.
Tanker 16
Tanker 16 was a surplus purchased U.S.A.F 1972 Didge fuel truck. The tank and drop-tank arm as well as other additions were manufactured completely in house by members of Sparta Fire Department. The apparatus carried a 500 GPM pump capability and carried 3000 gallons of water.
Brush 17
Brush truck 17 was the department’s first dedicated brush truck. It was a 1978 Dodge 4×4 purchased as surplus from the U.S. Forestry Service. It carried a 300 Gallon steel tank and small portable pump as well as a compliment of water cans and portable backpack water cans known as “Indian packs”.