Retired Firefighter Restores Palatine's First Fire Truck

Photo credit: village of Palatine/John Tobin

For retired firefighter John Tobin, it’s not just a fire truck.

On Tuesday, the Palatine community got a glimpse of the village’s first fire truck -- the “Snorkel,” which Tobin recently bought and restored -- during an annual ceremony commemorating the 43rd anniversary of a blaze at the Benjamin Franklin store. The Snorkle was on the scene of that blaze, which Tobin’s father, David, a second lieutenant at the time for the village’s volnteer fire department, responded to, the Daily Herald reports.

John Tobin was a senior in high school when the blaze broke out. He skipped school and rushed to the fire where he took photos and helped with equipment, according to the article. The blaze ended up killing three local firefighters.

The blaze and the Snorkle have been lifelong obsession, of sorts, for Tobin. Tobin ended up pursuing a career in firefighting, which included 34 years with the Elgin Fire Department. He used the Snorkle once, going up in the bucket during a fire at the Mayfair Carpet Company in the 1970s while he worked as a volunteer firefighter in Palatine.

“That truck was my childhood dream truck,” Tobin said. “I went from wondering if I would get a ride on it to operating it at a fire to actually owning it.”

Over the years, Tobin kept track of the Snorkle, which remained in Palatine from 1969 to 1981 before heading to Salem, Ill., from 1981 to 2001. From there it went to Pierceton, Ind. Earlier this year, Pierceton fire officials called Tobin to see if he would be interested in buying the Snorkle, according to the Daily Herald. Tobin offered $5,000 and the fire truck was his.

The truck was in great shape for its age. Tobin said he cleaned the truck and stripped all of its old lettering and put “Palatine” back on the truck. He also included a small plaque on the truck’s ladder, which includes the dates when the truck served its various communities.

“The truck is pristine...it still operates just fine,” Tobin said. “It’s a gem.”

The truck was well-received at a Tuesday morning memorial ceremony in Palatine. Around 100 people stopped out, including the families of firefighters Richard Freeman and Warren Ahlgrim, who were both killed in the 1973 blaze. Tobin said he drove it into downtown Palatine Tuesday and parked the truck right in the location where it would have been the morning of the deadly fire at the Ben Franklin store, which was located on the west side of Brockway Street just north of Slade Street.

That fire broke out in the early morning hours of Friday, February 23, 1973 and quickly spread throughout the building.

Volunteer firefighter and owner of the Ben Franklin store John Wilson, 40; and volunteer firefighters Ahlgrim, 32, and Freeman, 25, all died from smoke inhalation as they fought the fire in the basement of the building.

What’s Next for the Snorkle? 

As for the Snorkle, Tobin says he will keep it “out of the weather” in his barn in West Dundee. He is hoping to bring it out to special events in Palatine.

“Maybe I will take it for a ride on Sunday,” Tobin joked. Otherwise, his goal is to keep it in excellent shape.

“I want to keep this truck looking as close to what it did and then pass it on to someone else to take care of it and carry on the tradition,” Tobin said.