New York fire truck makes big arrival in Dublin

A fire truck used by the Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department on Long Island in New York for some thirty years has safely arrived in Ireland after being purchased by collector and Dublin native Liam Moore.

Marvin Tate, Sr, the chief of the Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department, said in a statement on March 23 that Ladder 5211, a Seagrave Tiller fire truck, served the city of Glen Cove from 1987 to 2019.

“It is now about to embark to its new home in Dublin, Ireland,” the fire chief said in his statement, adding that the truck answered "countless alarms" during its service, most notably a fire at 167 Glen Cove Ave where it rescued a number of residents.

“Ladder 5211 has done its job well," Tate said.

According to LIHerald, collector Liam Moore, based in Dublin, purchased the Seagrave Tiller through Auctions International last November for $11,000.

Moore told Echo.ie: "I have two other ones there and this is the biggest one, it’s over 50 feet long and it has two drivers, one at the front and one at the back and 100-foot ladder- it’s big.

“There is nothing like it here in Ireland or Europe and it’s big and unusual and that’s why I wanted it – unusual is what we look for. You don’t see them going around Dublin.”

Moore displays his fire truck collection at charity events and is planning on using the newly acquired fire truck from New York at a 9/11 commemoration in Ireland later this year.

On March 25, Ladder 5211 began its transatlantic journey with a send-off fit for a hero. The fire truck was transported with a police escort from Long Island to a port in Newark, New Jersey where it was loaded onto a cargo ship to begin its travels to Ireland.

The fire department said in a post: "Today we say goodbye to Ladder 5211, one of few Tiller trucks operating on Long Island. Ladder 5211 has been more than a piece of fire apparatus, but a trusty comrade in service to the Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department for over 32 years.

"The Chiefs and members of the Department could not be happier that her legacy will be preserved and she will be used for charitable purposes in Dublin, Ireland.

"Ladder 5211 - always in our hearts."

The Echo noted that the fire truck was arriving in Ireland “fully loaded” with equipment for firefighters in Ireland thanks to the assistance from the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund, which was launched in memory of Dix Hills firefighter Terry Farrell who died in Tower Two on 9/11.

On May 3, the fire truck finally made its grand arrival in Dublin.

#WATCH A fire truck that served in New York for over 30 years has arrived in #Dublin

Collector Liam Moore bought the truck more than three months ago, and it has been welcomed to the capital after a huge send-off in the United States@RobOHanrahan reports ⤵️#VMNews pic.twitter.com/6bnKNZsw6r

— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) May 3, 2021

Rob O’Hanrahan of Virgin Media News in Ireland reports that the fire truck made its way down the quays in Dublin on Monday “flanked by a blue run that organizers say was the largest in the country since the visit of Barack Obama.”

The Dublin Fire Brigade was on hand to welcome the Tiller Ladder Truck to its new home in Ireland.

The terrible weather didn’t dampen the spirits this afternoon as Firefighters from HQ and Phibsborough saluted this 1987 New York (Glen Cove) Tiller Ladder Truck’s arrival to Dublin.

It was shipped from the United States to go in to a private collection. (Pics: @FireIreland) pic.twitter.com/GMoiiTEQUb

— Dublin Fire Brigade #StayHomeSaveLives (@DubFireBrigade) May 3, 2021