For 21 years, from 1951 to 1972, it faithfully served the Mahoning Valley Fire Company.

In that span, it hardly missed a call. It battled all types of fires, from brush to barns.Then it was put into retirement, placed in a bay of the Mahoning Valley fire station, and has been sitting here for 42 years.It seemed its days of usage had permanently ended.Until now.The 1936 Hahn fire engine, rusting and with few working parts, has been transported to the Carbon County Career and Technical Institute, where it is getting a complete makeover.Its engine is being made to operate. New wiring is replacing the old, rotted cloth strands. The bell has been shined. A custom gas tank was made by CCTI welding students.If all goes as planned, it could be reintroduced to the public at the Lehighton Area Halloween Parade in October.Jay Michalik, assistant fire chief, said, "This project started a long time ago. We've been trying to get this vehicle up and running and thanks to Harold Resh, here we are."Resh is the auto mechanics instructor at CCTI. He said the work on the truck began in early April.He said students from some other shops such as welding are involved in the project.Besides helping a local community and its fire department, Resh said the project is also beneficial to the students.Resh said they are getting firsthand experience. He related that one student was having a little trouble grasping wiring on vehicles. The concept was more difficult to demonstrate considering most newer vehicles have computers.Working on the antique fire truck, the student began stringing the new wiring without worrying about computers.The student told Resh, "I'm getting it now."That student has become so comfortable working with vehicle wiring that he has set his career goal to become a Chrysler mechanic.Resh said his students "want it running. They want it safe as far as brakes and the engine."Michalik said the truck was taken to the school without a gas tank. "These guys actually built a new gas tank, looking at pictures of the old one," he said.One of the main problems was getting parts for the nearly 70-year-old vehicle.Resh said he located some parts in Michigan, others in Pensacola, Florida, and a few in Schenectady, New York.He attended a recent truck show to try to find needed parts.Michalik said, "Our main goal was to get the vehicle in proper working order so we can use it as a tribute to our members."Heritage is important to the members of the fire department, Michalik said. "We're proud of who we are and where we're going, and probably the most of where we've been."The 1936 Hahn is important because it is the first piece of apparatus the fire department owned when it was formed in 1951.The fire company purchased the truck for $2,000. It had on it a 350 gallons-per-minute pump, a 300 gallon water tank, four new tires and a one-year warranty.When the fire company was formed, it initially served not only Mahoning Township but also parts of West Penn Township.In 1972, it was replaced with a new mini pumper.Michalik said that after the truck was retired, "Understanding it was an important part of the history of the Mahoning Valley, the fire engine was kept in storage at the fire company."A fundraising group spearheaded by members Dayle Smith, Dave Pollock, Scott Coombe, and Frank Ruch worked on raising funds for the repair of the truck."We will use it as a tribute to our charter members and anybody who served before us, and to our past," Michalik said.