FIRST DUE FIREHOUSE REPLICAS

Website by Andrew Benzie Creative Design.

About the Owner/Designer/Builder/Author

Andrew Benzie began collecting model emergency vehicles in the 1970s when his grandparents gave him his first Corgi and Dinky toy fire engines. He has an extensive collection and knowledge of Code 3 models, and has published three books on Conrad, Siku, and Tomica emergency vehicles. Andrew currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where he runs a design and book publishing company, and plays bass and drums with several local bands.

First Due Firehouse Replicas

Release #20:

Syracuse Fire Department

Fire Station 1

The twentieth release of First Due Firehouse Replicas:

Syracuse Fire Department Fire Station 1

The Syracuse Fire Department protects a 25-square-mile area with a population of 144,000 that grows significantly during daytime hours. The department provides fire protection and prevention services for four major hospitals, many downtown office buildings, Hancock International Airport, Interstates 81 and 690, as well as Syracuse University and the Carrier Dome. Currently over 350 firefighters staff the department and answer over 21,000 alarms a year of which over 1,000 are fires.

The Syracuse Fire Department holds an ISO class 1 rating. Nationally there are 241 ISO Class 1 Departments—Syracuse is one of only five in New York State with this rating. Our model of this firehouse is the twentieth release from First Due Firehouse Replicas.

About the Firehouse

The Syracuse Fire Department has eleven fire stations which house nine engine companies and five truck companies along with a rescue company and Haz-Mat unit. All addresses in the city of Syracuse are less than 2 miles away from a Firehouse. This ensures an average response time of less than 4 minutes anywhere in the city.

About the Replica

First Due Firehouse Replicas goes to great lengths to capture as much accuracy and detail as possible within each model we produce. Once the research is completed and a firehouse is chosen to replicate, the process involves taking photographs, creating an architectural building plan, assembling and editing the photos to digital 1:64 scale artwork, printing the artwork on glossy poster-quality paper and mounting the prints to foam-core board. Next the walls are cut out using a professional-quality mat cutter (to achieve 45° angle cuts for joins), and each model is then assembled by hand. Additional exterior details are added including air conditioning units, railings, exhaust vents, etc. Finally, remaining small details are hand-painted, the custom-built apparatus bay doors are installed and the raising of the flag completes each firehouse replica.

Fore more information about this product, please see our Frequently Asked Questions page. If have any further questions, please Contact Us.

Johnny Lightning produced a scuba rescue unit and an International Scout II in matching Syracuse colors.

Scuba Rescue: (fictional unit)

• Hummer H1 (Johnny Lighting #333-02, 2002)

About the Apparatus

How to Order

You may Place an Order for any of our products online. Once we receive your order we will contact you via email with more information about availability, payment, shipping costs, etc.

Location:

900 S. State Street

Syracuse, NY

Years in Service:

1974-present

Companies Quartered:

•Truck 1 (organized 1874, disbanded 2011)
•Squad 1 (re-organized 2011)
•Engine 1
•Mini 1
•Ladder 1
•Community Service Van

Syracuse Fire Department Station 1

Fire Station 1, which covers an area north to James Street, south to Dr. Martin Luther King, west to West Street, and east to Syracuse University, is part of the 3rd District and is the city’s busiest station.

Release Date:

• July 2022

Dimensions:

• Base width: 16 inches

• Base depth: 12 inches

• Building width: 16 inches

• Building depth: 10 inches

• Building height: 4.5 inches

• Height to tip of flagpole: 6 inches

Features Included:

•Black base with 2 inch apron in front
•Removable roof
•Removable apparatus bay doors Note: for this one-story apparatus bay firehouse the roof must be removed to remove/insert the bay doors.
•Flag/Flagpole
•Printed firehouse fact sheet booklet

Pricing:

Our introductory price for this firehouse replica is $339 plus shipping (Note: the models of the apparatus are not included). The price covers the cost of the photo-quality prints (starting at about $50), the building materials (various paper, foam, plastic, wood and metal products), and around eight hours of time to construct (not including the many hours of preparatory research and design time spent to create each prototype model). Note: We create each or our replicas by hand—this is NOT a 3D printed or laser cut model.

Code 3 replicated Syracuse Fire Department’s Truck 1 in 2001 (not included with firehouse purchase). After serving the city for 134 years (and responding to some of the city’s largest fires), Truck 1 was decommissioned in 2011. The truck was replaced by Squad 1, a rapid response team designed to increase the department’s efficiency and proficiency in ventilating roofs.

Firefighters from Truck 1 performed 68 percent of the ventilations in the city. Now, instead of maneuvering the big truck around the city to do the job, they use a smaller vehicle to get there quickly. The department has five remaining ladder trucks.

Truck 1:

• Sutphen (#12931, 2001)

Solido (France) produced a variety of 1:60 scale models of Mack R600 pumpers in the 1980s. The colors of this Brewster, Massachusetts Engine 4 fit in well with those of Syracuse.

Engine 1: (fictional model)

•Mack R600 (Solido Toner Cam II #3106, 1980s)

Don Mills Models/Hobbytown produced a handful of 1:60 scale pumpers of utilizing the chassis and body of Mack R600 pumpers from Solido models sold in the 1980s. This example (#005 engraved on bottom) has an enclosed Maxim cab.

Engine 1 (reserve): (fictional model)

• Maxim (Don Mills/Hobbytown, 1980s)

Matchbox sold a mini-pumper in Syracuse colors in 2011.

Mini-Pumper 1: (fictional model)

• Ford F-550 (Matchbox #MB817, 2011)

Siku (Germany) produced a Volkswagon Bus in 1:60 scale.

Community Service Van 1: (fictional model)

• Volkswagon T2 Bus (Siku #1315, 1975-88)

Chief 1: (fictional unit)

• International Scout II (Johnny Lighting #50268, 2008)