There are more aerial ladder and tower
trucks in Central Pennsylvania today than there ever was. But where
are the tillers? Tillered ladder trucks are now a rarity in this area.
Of the few that exist, most are in private hands and very few are in
service.
Ever want to tiller one? Ever wonder
what it’s like sitting high atop a bedded wooden aerial ladder in a
tiller seat and swinging that trailer around. Are you interested in
turning back the proverbial hands of the clock fifty years and
grabbing a feel for what it might have been like to be a fireman
assigned to a big city ladder company? Well now is your chance.
The Pa. National Fire Museum board has
granted approval to permit our 1935 Mack ladder truck to be used in a
program we simply call “The Tillerman.” Throughout the warmer
months, on select Sunday afternoons, as part of a truck company, you
will experience what only a dwindling number of old veterans ever
felt. The Tillerman allows us to use our ladder truck and
permit, under controlled conditions, licensed drivers to fulfill a
lifetime dream of actually tillering a real hook and ladder.
If you are at least 18 years of age and
hold a valid drivers license and are seriously interested, contact me,
Dave Houseal via email at
HFD82@aol.com
and I will explain in more detail how the program works.
