This Sunday, October 4, 2026, the Fire Museum of Memphis will host the Memphis Fire Department's annual memorial service. This ceremony recognizes the 59 Memphis firefighters who have given their lives in the line of duty. It is open to the public. We invite you to join us and support the families of the fallen. A reception will follow in the banquet hall on the second floor of the Snowden building. Also, the Fire Museum Gift Shop will be open with several new items available for purchase. Thank you for helping support the Fire Museum of Memphis.

Memphis Fire Apparatus - Retired

F-0. Fire Museum pumper. First motorized fire apparatus of the Memphis Fire Department. 1912 American LaFrance type 12, built in Elmira, New York. 700 GPM pump. Powered by a 6-cylinder gasoline engine. The body was designed to carry 1,000 feet of 2-1/2 inch fire hose and water was drawn from hydrants with a hard suction hose wrapped around the front of the apparatus in "squirrel-tail" fashion. It had non-pneumatic (airless) rubber tires. When new, it was assigned to Engine 12 at the corner of Lamar Avenue and Woodward Street. The pumper was named the "R. A. Utley" in honor of the Memphis Fire & Police Commissioner. In later years, it was converted into a deluge unit and relocated to Fire Headquarters downtown. For many years, the Utley was housed in the first Memphis fire museum at 2668 Avery Avenue, where the Fire Prevention Bureau is now located. Today, the Utley is a centerpiece at the Fire Museum of Memphis downtown at 118 Adams Avenue.

F-00. Fire Museum Horse Drawn Steam Fire Engine "E. H. Crump." 1910 Ahrens Continental #217. 900 GPM pump. This steamer was only in frontline service for about 8-10 years because of Mayor E. H. Crump's implementation of a plan to motorize the entire fire department. It was displayed for many years at Overton Park, and, in the early 1960's was moved to the original fire department museum at 2668 Avery Avenue. That museum eventually closed in the 1970's to make room for the Fire Prevention Bureau. The Crump steamer spent the next several years being stored at various Memphis fire stations. Then, in the late 1990's, final restoration began at Apparatus Maintenance for the steamer to be included in the new Fire Museum of Memphis, where it has resided since October, 1998.

Vintage Memphis fire truck from the Fire Museum of Memphis.
F-1. 1946 Pirsch model 38 S/N 1464. 1000 GPM Hale pump and 100 gallon booster tank. Hall Scott 275hp gas engine. Ordered in August 1944 and delivered to the MFD on March 2, 1946. Assigned new to Engine 1 at 118 Adams Avenue. Placed in reserve on January 30, 1962. Rebuilt, repainted and assigned to Engine 32 at 1670 Channel Avenue in September, 1965. With this rebuild, engine was upgraded to 300hp and the pump upgraded to 1250 GPM. Placed in reserve again in 1971, then assigned to Engine 37 at 3950 Weaver Road. Moved to Engine 33 in 1973. Placed in reserve again in 1975. Removed from service in May 1976. Stripped, body removed in May 1979 and assigned to Training Bureau as a tool to train firefighters on apparatus design and pump operations. Sold at auction in May 1991. Total of 45 years of service to the Memphis Fire Department.

F-23. 1941 GMC-Pirsch S/N 1161. 1000/100/Waukesha 285hp gas engine. Assigned to Engine 4 at 283 North Main Street, 1941-1950. Engine 6 at 652 North Third Street, 1950-1952. Engine 23 at 3468 Jackson Avenue, 1952-1957. Engine 19 at 2248 Chelsea Avenue, 1957-1966. Placed in reserve status, 1966. Later at Engine 35. Placed in reserve again in 1973. Sold at auction, October 1979. In December of 1956, this pumper pumped for 130 consecutive hours at the Quaker Oats Chemical Co. fire.

F-31. 1955 Pirsch S/N 2224. 1500/100/Hall Scott 297hp gas engine. Delivered in December 1955. Assigned to Engine 9 at 65 S. Front Street. Engine 6 at 924 Thomas Street in February 1971. Engine 22 at 2788 Lamar Avenue in 1973. Placed in reserve, 1976. Given to Shelby County Fire Department in 1979. Sold at auction, 1983.

F-32. 1957 Mack. S/N B21F-1002. 1500/100/Hall Scott 300hp gas engine. Assigned to Engine 13 at 460 East Parkway North from 1957-1971. Later assigned to Engine 25 at 4735 New Willow Road. Placed in reserve status in April 1976.

F-35. 1959 Pirsch pumper 1000/100/Waukesha 285hp gasoline engine. Assigned new to Engine 21 at 4585 Poplar Avenue. The booster tank was later removed and replaced with one that held 300 gallons. It was repowered with a Cummins 365hp diesel engine in May of 1973. It was in service at Engine 21 from 1959-1976. In 1977, it was reassigned to Engine 31. It then served as a reserve pumper and was eventually sold at auction in May of 1991. Original color slide by Dick Adelman.

F-38. 1961 Pirsch S/N 2506. 1000/300/Detroit diesel 350hp engine. Assigned to Engine 12 at 985 South Bellevue Blvd. from 1961-1983. Placed in reserve, 1983. Sold at auction, November 1989.

F-39. 1961 Pirsch S/N 2507. 1000/300 Cummins diesel 365hp engine. Assigned to Engine 16 at 1078 East Parkway South from 1961-1976. Assigned to Engine 50 at 4255 East Raines Road in 1976. Later placed in reserve. Sold at auction, May 1991.

F-40. 1962 Pirsch S/N 2551. 1500/100 Hall-Scott 323hp gas engine. Assigned to Engine 5 at 65 S. Front Street from 1962-1971. Assigned to Engine 13 at 333 E. Parkway North, 1971-1974. Assigned to Engine 32 at 1670 Channel Avenue, 1974-1977. Wrecked with train, March 1977. Back to Engine 32, July 1977. Placed in reserve June 1979. Placed out of service, February 1981. Sold at auction, 1983.

F-124. 1962 Pirsch aerial ladder truck originally built for the Whitehaven, TN Utility District Fire Department. Pirsch S/N 2620. Waukesha 276hp engine, 250 gpm PTO pump and 200-gallon booster tank. Annexed into the Memphis FD on 12/31/1969. It was assigned to Truck 19 at Station 29, 2147 Elvis Presley Boulevard. When it was built for Whitehaven, it was a quint with 1000 gpm pump. Rebuilt by MFD in 1971, pump removed, left with only the PTO pump. It was placed out of service in 1975, as it was deemed unsafe for a full crew because two of the four firemen had to ride on the running boards. Eventually scrapped for parts, aerial ladder given to Training Bureau. Picture below is how it looked when it was in service at Whitehaven as a quint. At that time, it ran out of Whitehaven Station 2 at 1253 E. Holmes Road.

F-357. 1937 GMC chassis. Body built by mechanics at the Memphis Fire Department Maintenance Shop. This was High Pressure Co. No. 1, which ran out of Fire Headquarters at 65 South Front Street. The ample supply of nozzles and other appliances were also built by Apparatus Maintenance. Note the outriggers that stabilized the truck when in use.

F-370. 1969 International CO8190 chassis. Body built completely by mechanics at the Memphis Fire Department Maintenance Shop. Assembled 1970-1972. Originally powered by an International 285hp gas engine, repowered with Detroit diesel in 1980. Assigned new to Engine 46 at 3423 Scenic Highway. Placed in reserve in 1989. Only used as a reserve for a short time because of having a manual transmission. Placed in storage around 1992 and kept for a future museum. Placed in the Fire Museum of Memphis on April 23, 2025. Maintained for many years by Driver (now Lt.) Ryan Smith at Station 6 while it was in storage.

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