Chief Dale Barker is researching the pumper that we have called the '53 Dodge for years.  It turns out that this vehicle was delivered to Edwards in September of 1954.

H. Paul Koert states the following: "I've been working of the history of the Blitz Buggy and Little MO Fire Apparatus since 1990. These trucks were the idea of Louis 'Army' Armstrong (Army's Fire Service) of Old Forge, NY. Louis was seemed to be very active in firefighting from the 1920's thru his death in 1976."

His records of our truck are interesting.  Mr. Koert shows it as 1 of 2 that were built on the 1954 Dodge chassis, with the Edwards Truck being on a 1-1/2 ton chassis and Ballston Spa, N.Y. on a 1 ton chassis. 

These were the only 2 built by the Blitz Buggy Company on the Dodge chassis with the exception of the 1952 Dodge Power Wagon B-3-PW 3/4-ton built for Grahamsville, New York.

The Edwards truck  was the number 21 of 38 trucks that were by Blitz Buggy themselves at the Thendara Garage in Old Forge.  It is equipped with the Darley JMR-300 pump, Serial Number 19087 that was shipped from Darley to Old Forge on June 25, 1954.  Edwards received delivery of the Blitz Buggy in September 1954 and Ballston Spa is #22 and was built the same time as our truck and both pumps and were shipped at the same time at a cost of $842.10 per pump.

The original Company when formed in 1949 was called " Hi-Pressure Fog Equipment Company, Old Forge, NY" and built the first 19 trucks under that name. In 1954 the Company was reorganized and renamed "The Blitz Buggy Company, Old Forge, NY" and built the next 19 trucks. The numbering system was that of the trucks actually built in Old Forge, so our truck is number 21 built and number 2 sold by the Blitz Buggy Company.   There was a total of 46 trucks sold by them, 38 built in Old Forge, 1 built by Benton & Brady, Utica, NY, 5 built by Darley, Chicago, IL and 2 built by Ripley and Harpinger in Schenectady. The actual sheet metal parts for your truck came from the Utica Boiler Works then assembled and completed on the Dodge chassis in Old Forge.

Our Blitz Buggy was once a front line vehicle but is now maintained solely for parades.