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CAPE COD BRUSH BREAKERS 

~ History of Cape Cod's Unique Forest Firefighting Apparatus ~
Originally posted January 2001 - Completely Rebuilt January 2022
Page Updated January 17, 2022
 

HISTORY PAGE
BRUSH & FOREST FIRE APPARATUS HISTORY

FIRE DEPARTMENTS INDEX
| Barnstable County | The Islands | Plymouth County | More |
 

APPARATUS TYPE INDEX
| Aircraft | Brush Breakers | Forestry & Patrol | Tankers | More |  
 

FIRES INDEX
| Cape Cod | The Islands | Plymouth County | More |  
 

HISTORY INDEX
| In Review | By Years | 
 

UPDATE INDEX
| Recent Updates | 
 

Before there were motorized vehicles, forest fires were able to burn almost unchecked.
Citizens and firefighters would use hand held water extinguishers, rakes, brooms, and other
hand tools to create fire breaks and stop fires.  Horse drawn wagons could carry a number of
extinguishers but were slow and unable to go off main roads.

Refilling hand held water extinguishers.

The memorial is locate on Route 130 in Forestdale.




Smokey Bear for fire prevention.

Preventing Forest Fires - Tailgate of DEM District 7 Patrol truck.

Only You!

Smokey

As early as the late 1800's, observation posts (fire towers) were constructed so that
observers could spot smoke early and try to locate fires while still small.
This tower was and still is located in Wellfleet.

Barnstable Fire Tower
Bourne Fire Tower
Brewster Fire Tower
Dennis Fire Tower
Falmouth Fire Tower
Nickerson State Park - Brewster
Sandwich Fire Tower
Shawme-Crowell State Park - Sandwich
Wellfleet Fire Tower

The Falmouth Fire Tower was constructed in 1914.  

Barnstable Fire Tower on Shootflying Hill
in 1919.

Shootflying Hill in 1920

This fire tower in West Barnstable oversees much of the mid Cape
area.  It is located along Route 6.  The trees are all grown up now.

The Barnstable Fire Tower in 1992.

Inside the fire tower is a centrally located map.  Observers simply get a line
on the smoke and by crossing lines from two or more towers, the fire can
be located and communicated to fire fighters. 


Wellfleet Fire Tower



Sandwich Fire Tower, like most of the others, have become more
cell phone and radio towers than fire observation towers in
recent years.  This is somewhat poetic since the invention of the
cell phone had greatly improved the ability of the public to call in fires
early from their cars.


Another example of modern technology competing with the need for fire towers.
Bourne Fire Tower.



Brewster Fire Tower


Map display of Massachusetts fire towers in 1913

Locating and observing brush fires is key to extinguishing them before they get too large.
Barnstable County owned and operated a Fire Patrol airplane (P-18) for many years.
It could relay information on the size and movement of the fire to chiefs on the ground.










P-18 with pilot John Lemos and fire warden Robert Dottridge.

2012 Breaker 128 - Bourne - 1959-71 Kaiser Mil 6x6 Breaker-Tanker (was Brewster 235)
2013 Breaker 27 - Carver - International-V-Tech
2014 Breaker 129 - Bourne - 1996 Mil 6x6 Brush Breaker




FORESTRY & PATROL TRUCKS
1910's Fire Truck - State DOC - Middleboro?

1922 Patrol Truck - Town of Barnstable - Osterville - Dodge

1930 Fire Truck - Edgartown Forest Fire Dept -
1930's Fire Truck - Plymouth Forest Fire Dept -
1930's Engine 6 - Plymouth Fire Dept -
1930s Patrol Truck - Orleans -
1932 Fire Truck - Sandwich Fire Dept - Ford
1934 Patrol Truck - Bourne - Chevy
1938 Patrol Truck - Town of Barnstable - Osterville - Ford
1939 State Forest Fire Truck - Mass DOC - Bourne - Ford COE

1942 Patrol - State DOC - Lower Cape - Chevy
1940s Patrol Truck 178 - Dennis Chevy
1940s Forestry - Falmouth - Mil Scout Car

1955 Forestry C33 - Falmouth - Dodge
1950 Patrol Truck - Town of Barnstable - Ford
1951 Patrol Truck 2 - Bourne - Chevy 
1950's Patrol Truck - Dennis - GMC
1957 Forestry E2 - Harwich - International
1957 Forestry E6 - Yarmouth - Dodge
1957 Forestry - Plymouth - International - Greenwood Estate
1958 Patrol Truck 210 - Town of Barnstable - Osterville - Ford

1960s Patrol Truck - Sandwich 141 - Ford - Fire Chief truck
1960s Patrol Truck - Sandwich 140 - Ford 4x4
1960s Patrol Truck - State - Dist 1 - P4 Lower Cape - Dodge
1960s Forestry - State - Dist 7 - 75 - Dodge
1962 Forestry F9 - Onset - Dodge
1967 Forestry - Yarmouth - International - Great Island (Originally 1957 Plymouth)
1967 Patrol Truck 210 - Town of Barnstable - Osterville - Ford
1967 Forestry 2 - Middleboro Ff2 - Jeep
1969 Patrol Truck 220 - Town of Barnstable - Osterville - Ford
1960s Forestry - Duxbury - International

1970s Patrol Truck - State - Dist 1 - P3 Upper Cape
1970 Forestry 90 - Wellfleet F1 - Dodge
1974 Engine 4 - Hyannis - Dodge
1975 Forestry 129 - Bourne - "Tinkerbell" - 1960s Jeep 4x4 Brush Truck
1975 Patrol Truck 210 - Town of Barnstable - Osterville - Ford
1976 Forestry 105 - Dennis - Dodge

1984 Patrol 17 - State - Dist 2 - Myles Standish - Chevy
1985 Patrol 16 - State - Dist 2 - Myles Standish - Chevy
1986 Patrol 4 - State - Dist 1 - Lower Cape - Chevy
1989 Patrol 290 - West Barnstable - Chevy

1991 Forestry 277 - CCNS - International-Metal Masters
1994 Forestry 240 - Brewster - Ford-Murphy
1994 Forestry 46 - Yarmouth - Ford-Fire Resources
1995 Forestry 317 - COMM - GMC-Fire One
1996 Forestry 187 - Chatham - Ford
1996 Patrol 3 - State - Dist 1 - Shawme - Ford
1997 Patrol - CCNS Ford
1997 Forestry 238 - Brewster - 1975 Dodge
1999 Forestry 110 - Dennis - Ford  (later 108)

2000 Forestry 49 - Yarmouth - 1986 Chevy
2000s Patrol 811 - State - Dist 1 - Vineyard - 1980s Chevy
2001 Forestry 480 - Truro - Ford
2001 Forestry 169 - Orleans - 1978 Dodge
2002 Forestry 277 - CCNS - Ford-Boise
2002 Forestry 230 - Edgartown - Ford
2003 Spec Haz 158 - Eastham - 1991 International-Metal Masters (former CCNS)
2004 Forestry 290 - West Barnstable - Ford
2005 Forestry 169 - Orleans - Ford
2006 Forestry 67 - Harwich - Ford
2007 Forestry 187 - Chatham - Ford
2007 Forestry C4 - State - Dist 1 - Shawme - 1998 Chevy


FORESTRY ENGINES & SPECIAL APPARATUS
1930 Engine 3 - Centerville - Ford Model A 75gpm/200 gallons (then Mashpee)
1930 Ford Model A Forestry Truck - Bourne - MB - Eng 2
1938 Engine 5 - East Falmouth - Maxim, 500gpm/1000 gallons
1953 Engine 3 - North Falmouth - Diamond T 500gpm/1000 gallons
1942 Engine 4 - Centerville - Ford 500 gallon
1950s Engine 5 - Halifax, MA - Ford
1950s Engine 4 - Marion - Dodge
1960s Engine 3 - Marion - GMC

TANKERS - TENDERS - ENGINE TANKERS
1935 Tanker 1 - Falmouth - Ford, 800 gallons
1950 Engine 2 - Mashpee - Dodge 800 gallons
1965 Tanker 1 - Falmouth 35 - International-Maxim 1000 gallons
1965 Tanker - CCNS - International-Darley 1000 gallons
1968 Tanker 13 - Otis AFB - 5000 gallon
1973 Tanker 296 - West Barnstable - 1960s International-Trailer 5000 gallons
1985 Engine-Tanker 296 - West Barnstable - Pierce 2000gpm/3000 gallons
1999 Tanker 2 - State - Dist 2 - Myles Standish - 1975 AM General 1200 gallons
2000 Tender - CCNS - 1984 AAM General 1000 gallons
2000 Tanker 733 - West Tisbury -
2002 Tanker 1 - State - Dist 2 - Myles Standish - 1982 Mack-Kovatch 5000 gallons
2002 Tanker 464 - Sandwich - 1980 AM General-Fire One 2000 gallons
2003 Tanker 157 - Eastham - 1997 GMC-Almonte 2000 gallons
2003 Tanker 734 - West Tisbury - International-US Tanker - 2200 gallons
2005 Tanker 298 - West Barnstable - 1975 Dodge 3500 gallons
 

MISCELLANEOUS
2000s RAT - State - Dist 1 - Shawme - Remote Access Trailer
2000 Dozer 1 - State - Dist 2 - Myles Standish - John Deer dozer