This Fire-Chief pumps up station

MONROE — The firefighters of Fire District No. 3 said they would have been content just to see a photo of a rare antique gas pump.

A local man, Myron Herman, did them one better and donated a valuable 1940s Fire-Chief gas pump he’d spent nine months restoring.

“It’s quite unique,” Assistant Fire Chief Steve Guptill said. “We’ve got something not many departments have.”

The beautifully restored gas pump is now on display at the fire station headquarters at 163 Village Court SE in downtown Monroe. It joins a gleaming 1936 fire truck, built by Peter Pirsch and Sons Co., parked in the fire station lobby.

The public can stop by during weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and gander.

The old gas pump was found in a sorry state at a yard sale in Marysville. Herman of Monroe spent months bringing back the pump’s classic beauty. A friend, Steve Hall of Duvall, applied a perfect coat of shiny fire-engine red paint.

The pump features a firefighter’s helmet, the logo for Texaco’s Fire-Chief gasoline. Fire-Chief gasoline was a special product of Texaco’s, formulated to meet the octane requirements of fire engines.

The pump is worth $2,500 to $3,500, said Bob Halliday, the owner of Bob’s Garage, a Marietta, Ga., company that restores and sells vintage gas pumps and reproductions at www.bobs-garage.com.

This pump is a rare find, Halliday said.

Old-time gas stations are long gone and that makes all pre-1960s gas pumps a finite commodity, he said. The occasional garage sale find like this one happens rarely.

“They are not on the side of the road anymore,” Halliday said. “They are all in collector hands for the most part, and if you want to do what we do, you have to know where to get them.”

The firefighters just feel flattered to have such a gift.

“It’s wonderful,” the assistant fire chief said. “It speaks to (Myron Herman’s) community spirit and his appreciation for the job we do for the public.”

Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.