By ALEXANDRIA

BOURNONVILLE

Journal Staff Writer

ISHPEMING — Ishpeming fire chief Jason Annala is searching for an old fire truck formerly used by the fire department until the 1990s.

The truck is a 1951 Peter Pirsch and Sons Pumper model fire engine that was originally traded for the department’s current 1995 Pierce Saber.

“We have a few leads,” Annala said. “We are in contact with the site that sold it in 2018.”

The website, fentonfire.com, has listings of used fire trucks for sale. According to Fenton Fire, the ’51 Pirsch model was sold in 2018 for $7,400.

“Currently, we are just checking on the status of the truck and the condition,” Annala said. “A lot of our former members love the truck and want to see it come back.”

If the truck is located, Annala said the department would need to do some fundraising to purchase the engine without using the city’s tax dollars.

Annala said the end goal would be “displaying all of our historical apparatus and items.”

He also said he credits progress made on finding the engine to messages from people on Facebook and one of the newest firefighters on their team, Beau “Beans” Mager.

Alexandria Bournonville can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 506. Her email address is abournonville@miningjournal.net.