Calera Fire Department Running Out Of Time To Save ‘Spirit Of Oklahoma’ Fire Truck

While the fundraiser is still thousands of dollars short, there is new, last-minute hope that the truck will be rescued.

Wednesday, June 16th 2021, 10:27 pm

By: Grant Stephens

Thursday is the deadline to save the Spirit of Oklahoma fire truck. While the fundraiser is still thousands of dollars short, there is new, last-minute hope that the truck will be rescued.

The truck symbolizes a bond between New York and Oklahoma firefighters after two terror attacks.

If the Calera Fire Department can't come up with the money in time, a museum may step in to front the rest of the money, but there are no guarantees.

The first page of the Spirit of Oklahoma fire truck's story was written 26 years ago - with the blood and tears shed by Oklahoma and New York City fire rescue crews in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

Years later, a new chapter was written in the ashes of the September 11th attacks.

"On the side of that truck are ten names," said Tim Brown, a retired New York City firefighter. "Eight of them are firefighters, two are police officers. Of course, I knew all ten of them."

Brown was with those ten men who came to help after the Oklahoma City bombing, and he stood in the same rubble where all ten were killed on 9/11. He vowed he'd never forget them.

"It's a fire truck - it's a rolling memorial. But just the fact that it has those names on the side. Those names are what bond Oklahoma, and the New York City Fire Department and the New York City Police Department," Brown said.

Brown wants the truck back in Oklahoma and he's helping the Calera fire department find a place to store the rolling memorial until it can be shipped.

"We're going forward with it 100%, 150%," said Calera Fire Department Lieutenant Jake Trujillo. "We're pushing forward, it's going to come back to Oklahoma."

Trujillo said the final pages of the Spirit of Oklahoma's story will be written by Oklahomans willing to donate to bring the truck home and restore it.

The Calera fire department hopes to bring the truck from Massachusetts and ship it to the Tulsa Fire Museum.

To donate, click the link here.