Camp Sunshine benefits from monster fire truck

14 years ago

Camp Sunshine benefits

from monster fire truck

By Kathy McCarty

Staff Writer

    PRESQUE ISLE — There seems to be a natural attraction between children and fire trucks, so what better way to help children in need than through the use of a rather large fire truck – in fact, a monster-sized fire truck.

 

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Staff photo/Kathy McCarty

    RIDING BIG RED at the Northern Maine Fairgrounds was one of the most popular activities for area children who visited the 47th annual Maine Federation of Firefighters Convention the weekend of Sept. 10-12 in Presque Isle. Driving Big Red is Glenn Meehan, of Gray. Big Red is owned by Shaw Brothers Construction of Gorham.

 

    Big Red makes appearances around the state, raising funds for Camp Sunshine, a Sebago Lake facility now in its 25th year of providing respite, support, joy and hope to children with life-threatening illnesses and their immediate families through various stages of a child’s illness. The year-round program is free of charge to all families and includes 24-hour onsite medical and psycho/social support. Bereavement groups are also offered for families who have lost a child to an illness.
    “Big Red is owned by Shaw Brothers Construction, of Gorham. Danny Shaw purchased the truck at auction in Florida, with the intent of parting it out,” said Glenn Meehan, who serves as one of only a few operators qualified to drive the big truck.
    Meehan said Shaw, a member of the board of directors at Camp Sunshine, bought the truck initially with plans to sell the parts. But after a bit of consideration, Shaw envisioned the truck as something more than just an old fire truck but instead a “monster of a fundraiser.”
    “We run it all over southern Maine. It’s appeared in parades, at festivals. This is about as far north as we’ve been with it,” said Meehan, who’s been a firefighter in Gray for 16 years.
    Meehan said it was during a meeting at last year’s Maine State Federation of Firefighters Convention that plans began for the truck to appear at the convention in Presque Isle this year.
    “We met with the guys from the Presque Isle Fire Department at last year’s event. They asked if we’d be interested in attending this year and we said yes,” said Meehan. “Kids have fun riding on Big Red and the money goes to benefit the kids at Camp Sunshine.”
    Children who wish to ride the truck, according to Meehan, access the bench seats using a ladder due to the truck’s height. Once aboard, seatbelts secure up to eight children at a time for a ride they won’t soon forget. Dozens of riders of all ages enjoyed trips around the Northern Maine Fairgrounds, raising awareness and hundreds of dollars for Camp Sunshine.
    Big Red is a 1937 International fire truck converted into a monster truck. It is the largest truck of its kind, measuring 38 feet in length, 12 feet four inches wide and 11 feet nine and a half inches tall. This Big Red monster weighs in at 35,000 pounds. This truck has broken several Guinness world records, including being the world’s longest and heaviest monster truck. Big Red was originally a ladder truck in service with the Danville, Kentucky, Fire Department. The truck is equipped with 100 percent operational fire apparatus such as fire extinguishers, fire axes, ladders, spotlights, a hand crank siren and more.
    For more information about Camp Sunshine, visit www.campsunshine.org. For more information about Big Red, visit www.shawbros.com/site/index.php?info_id=111.