By Ian Nikkel, FOX23.com News Staff
TULSA, Okla. — A former FDNY fire truck donated by the Oklahoma City Fire Department is getting a second life at Tulsa Tech.
The truck, known as the Spirit of Oklahoma, was purchased after the September 11 attacks with money raised by Oklahoma elementary school students. Mike Ward, chair of the Tulsa Fire Museum, said children raised about $400,000 in less than three weeks through penny drives and lunch-money donations — the equivalent of about $850,000 today.
The fundraising effort helped replace equipment for the New York City Fire Department after many fire trucks were destroyed or damaged in the World Trade Center collapse.
The connection between Oklahoma and New York was already strong before 9/11.
New York firefighters were among the crews who came to Oklahoma following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Ward said firefighters who responded remembered what became known as the Oklahoma Standard — the generosity and support they received from people across the state.
“It really, really made an impact on those firefighters,” Ward said.
The Spirit of Oklahoma served in New York City for more than two decades before it was decommissioned. Retired Tulsa firefighter Michael Burgess later bought the truck after learning it had been left in a field in Massachusetts, according to Ward. Burgess brought it back to Oklahoma so the Tulsa Fire Museum could preserve and restore it.
The truck did not run when it arrived at Tulsa Tech.
Students are now restoring its engine, electrical system and transmission. Once the mechanical work is complete, the truck will move to the school’s auto body program for paint, lighting and other cosmetic repairs.
Tulsa Tech Campus Director Jerry Bogle said the project gives students a chance to work on more than just a vehicle.
“When the students of Oklahoma started raising the money to fund this truck and send it to New York, it started with students in Oklahoma,” Bogle said. “And then we get to now bring it back to life. So not only did it start with students in Oklahoma, but it also ends with students in Oklahoma.”
After the restoration is finished, the truck will return to the Tulsa Fire Museum. Organizers hope it can be displayed and potentially used in parades, keeping alive the story of Oklahoma’s support for the FDNY and the enduring bond between the two communities.
