GOLDIE HAAN

★

MERCHANDISE SALES HELP SUPPORT OUR ANNUAL HOLIDAY TOY-DRIVE TRADITION

★

MEET THE FLEET

1989 Hahn Pumper/Tanker

A retired New Jersey firefighter, a first airplane ride, and a nine-day, 3,000-mile adventure across America at 55 MPH.

How We Found Our Second Fire Truck

In October 2021, just a few months after buying our first fire truck, Jocelyn, I started looking around to see what other fire trucks were selling for.

I don't really know why. It's not like I was actively looking to buy another one. Or maybe, subconsciously, I secretly was!

I had been browsing Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and a few government auction websites, mostly out of curiosity. I wanted to see what kinds of fire trucks were available, what people were asking for them, and what similar trucks had actually sold for.

One day, while searching eBay, I came across a fire truck that caught my attention. It was a 1989 Hahn pumper/tanker that had previously served with Manalapan Township Fire Company #1 in New Jersey. It was a massive fire truck, much larger than Jocelyn, and it had a distinctive lime green color.

There was just one little problem. It was all the way across the country in New Jersey!

Naturally, I sent the listing to Jeffrey. I know, I know... BIG mistake! LOL. I sent him the link and said something along the lines of, “Too bad it's across the country in New Jersey.” I figured he'd look at the pictures, agree that it was a cool truck, and we'd move on.

Boy, was I wrong!

Jeffrey Comes Up With a Crazy Plan

Jeffrey looked at the listing and immediately told me he liked the truck and wanted to get it. I told him, “No way! It's across the country. If it were closer, we'd buy it, but New Jersey is just too far away.”

He suddenly said, “I'll call you back!” About five minutes later, my phone rang. It was Jeffrey.

“Me and Rebekah will fly out there, pick it up, and drive it back!”

I said, “WHAT?! NO WAY!” We were talking about driving a nearly 35-year-old fire truck from New Jersey all the way to California!

But then Jeffrey told me something I didn't know. His wife, Rebekah, had never been on an airplane before. Not once in her entire life! This would be her very first airplane flight. And according to Jeffrey, when he told her about the idea, she was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement!

Well, that did it. He got me! How could I possibly say no now? Oooookay, twist my arm, why don't ya?! I guess we were buying another fire truck!

Their First Vacation Without the Kids

There was something else that made this trip special. Jeffrey and Rebekah had three young daughters, and since their oldest daughter was born in 2016, they hadn't taken a vacation with just the two of them. This would be their first trip away together without the kids.

And what better way to spend your first vacation together than flying across the country and driving home in a gigantic old fire truck? Sounds perfectly normal to me! LOL.

I contacted the seller in New Jersey and told him we'd take the truck. I explained that my fire truck brother Jeffrey and his wife would be arriving in a few days to pick it up. Then I booked their airline tickets for the very next day.

Jeffrey's parents came to Santa Rosa to stay with their three granddaughters while Jeffrey and Rebekah were away. Everything was arranged. They boarded a red-eye flight to New Jersey, and Rebekah finally got to experience her very first airplane ride. Their adventure was officially underway!

Jeffrey and Rebekah landed on the East Coast the following morning. They took a taxi from the airport to the seller's location in New Jersey, where their new fire truck was waiting.

After getting everything squared away, they climbed into this enormous 1989 Hahn fire truck and, at approximately 11 a.m., started heading west toward California.

Just imagine that for a minute. You fly across the country, get off an airplane, take a taxi to meet somebody you've never met before, and then drive away in a gigantic fire truck you've never driven before! And your destination is nearly 3,000 miles away!

They drove through New York and got to see some of the scenery from the highway before continuing west. Meanwhile, I was back in California, keeping in constant contact with Jeffrey. In fact, I spent a good portion of their entire trip talking to him on the phone, serving as his long-distance copilot and navigator. It was almost like I was riding along with them, except I was at home or working at my auto parts store!

Welcome to New Jersey — Now Drive Home!

Turning a Fire Truck Into a Camper

One of the great things about this Hahn fire truck is that it has a fully enclosed rear cab. Jeffrey, being the kind of guy who can build or fix anything and everything, decided they might as well turn the back of the fire truck into a makeshift camper.

During their first day on the road, he stopped at Home Depot and bought a sheet of three-quarter-inch plywood. He measured the inside of the rear cab and cut the plywood to fit, creating a platform for a bed. Then they stopped at Walmart and bought an air mattress, pillows, and blankets. He also purchased a phone charger that he could wire into the front cab so they could keep their phones charged during the trip.

And just like that, they had their own rolling fire truck camper! They could pull into truck stops, park alongside the big rigs, grab something to eat, and climb into the back of the fire truck to sleep.

It certainly wasn't a luxury motorhome. But how many people can say they've camped their way across America in a real fire truck?

Visiting Family Along the Way

One of the nicest parts of the trip was that Jeffrey and Rebekah were able to visit family along the way home. They stopped in Virginia to visit Rebekah's family and in Arkansas to visit Jeffrey's family.

Instead of rushing straight home, they spent time visiting relatives, having meals together, and enjoying a little break from the road. They even got to sleep in real beds for a change!

So Jeffrey and Rebekah's young nephews were among the very first children to see the new fire truck. And, of course, Uncle Jeff couldn't resist taking them for a ride! The kids were absolutely ecstatic.

Imagine being a little boy and having your uncle show up from across the country in a huge fire truck, then getting to climb inside and go for a ride. Those are the kinds of memories children never forget. And for Jeffrey and Rebekah, these family visits turned what could have been a long, exhausting drive into a genuine cross-country adventure.

Across America at 55 MPH

Now, there's something important to understand about driving an old fire truck across the country. This wasn't a modern pickup truck or SUV cruising along at 75 or 80 miles per hour.

Goldie's top speed was approximately 55 MPH. That's it!

So while everybody else was flying past them on the freeway, Jeffrey and Rebekah were slowly making their way across America in this enormous fire truck. They stopped at truck stops to buy diesel, eat, rest, and sleep. They parked alongside professional truck drivers who spend their lives traveling the country. They watched the scenery change as they crossed from one state to the next.

And instead of racing home as quickly as possible, they got to experience the country at a much slower pace. I know truck drivers do this sort of thing every day. But there's a pretty big difference between driving a modern big rig with a sleeper cab and traveling across the country in an old fire truck with a homemade plywood bed in the back!

Of course, no great road trip would be complete without a few unexpected problems. And Goldie was about to give them some!

Trouble in Texas

After leaving their family visits behind, Jeffrey and Rebekah continued west toward California. We figured the rest of the trip would be a long but relatively straightforward drive home. Or so we thought!

Somewhere in Texas, Goldie started having cooling-system problems. The truck began overheating. We had probably been pushing the old girl a little too hard, driving 12 to 15 hours a day on the freeway. After all, this was an old fire truck that had spent much of its working life responding to emergencies and pumping water, not driving thousands of miles nonstop across the country.

Jeffrey had to stop and figure out what was wrong. He found a local auto parts store and bought a radiator hose. Then he went to Walmart and purchased a set of tools so he could make the necessary repairs. That set of tools became known as “the fire truck tool kit.”

Luckily, Jeffrey is a master at just about everything he does. Construction, electrical work, plumbing, mechanical repairs—you name it, he can probably figure it out. So there he was, somewhere in Texas, fixing a giant old fire truck on the side of the road. And he got it running again!

They continued west, although Goldie still had a few cooling-system hiccups along the way. Jeffrey had to stop several more times to add water to the radiator and keep an eye on the temperature. He babied the truck the rest of the way toward California. And somehow, they made it almost all the way home. Almost.

Just Three Hours From Home — Another Breakdown!

After days of driving across the country, Jeffrey and Rebekah finally made it back into California. They were getting close! By the time they reached the Turlock area, they were only about three hours from home in Santa Rosa. After everything they'd already been through, it looked like they were finally going to make it.

Then Goldie decided she wasn't quite finished causing trouble. A transmission line blew out! There they were, stranded on the side of the road in Turlock, California, after traveling thousands of miles. So close to home!

Fortunately, I was still at work at my auto parts store in Hayward when Jeffrey called. And if there's one advantage to owning an auto parts store, it's having access to just about everything you need to fix a broken-down vehicle!

I packed up my tools, grabbed some rubber transmission hose, loaded approximately eight gallons of transmission fluid, and headed out to rescue them. I drove about two hours from Hayward to Turlock, where I found them waiting on the side of the road.

It was around 11 p.m. when we got to work repairing the transmission line. There we were, in the middle of the night, on the side of the road, trying to get this massive old fire truck back into service. At least I got to participate in the excitement of fixing and getting the old truck to its new home!

After making the repairs and adding transmission fluid, we finally had Goldie running again. Success! But we weren't quite ready to call it a night.

Finally Meeting Goldie in Person

After fixing the transmission line, we drove to a gas station in Modesto to fill Goldie's diesel tank. It was around 1 a.m., and this was the first opportunity I'd had to really look over the fire truck I'd purchased nine days earlier!

There she was, sitting under the bright gas station lights. A gigantic old Hahn fire truck that had just traveled nearly 3,000 miles across America.

We spent about an hour at the gas station, getting some food, resting a little, filling the fuel tank, and checking everything over. By approximately 2 a.m., we were ready to get back on the road. Jeffrey and Rebekah climbed back into Goldie and continued toward Santa Rosa.

And at around 4 a.m., their nine-day cross-country adventure finally came to an end. They had made it home!

What a Trip!

A Vacation They'll Never Forget

When I think back on everything Jeffrey and Rebekah experienced during those nine days, it's pretty remarkable.

Rebekah took her very first airplane flight. They enjoyed their first vacation alone together since becoming parents. They drove a fire truck across the United States at 55 miles per hour. They built a makeshift camper inside the rear cab and slept at truck stops alongside professional truck drivers. They visited family in different states, gave excited nephews rides in the fire truck, and enjoyed meals and time together. They experienced mechanical breakdowns, roadside repairs, overheating problems, and a late-night rescue just a few hours from home.

And through it all, they got to see our beautiful country in a way that very few people ever will.

Most people take vacations to Hawaii, Mexico, or Disneyland. Jeffrey and Rebekah flew to New Jersey and drove home in a fire truck! Now THAT'S a vacation!

It's a story they'll be able to tell their children and grandchildren for the rest of their lives. And I guarantee it's an adventure they'll never forget.

How Goldie Haan Got Her Name

Of course, every fire truck needs a name. Our first truck, Jocelyn, got her name because of the way she jostled me around during that first drive home. Our second fire truck was manufactured by Hahn. So naturally, we named her Goldie Haan! A little play on the name of actress Goldie Hawn.

But there's one thing Jeffrey and I still can't agree on. The color. I say Goldie is lime green. Jeffrey insists she's yellow. I keep telling him she's definitely lime green! We've been arguing about it ever since. And I'm pretty sure I'm right! LOL.

Goldie's Earlier Life in New Jersey

Before Goldie became part of our family, she had a long career serving the community in New Jersey. She was a 1989 Hahn pumper/tanker that served with Manalapan Township Fire Company #1, Fire District #2. Her former apparatus number was 26-2-95.

Through an archived fire department webpage, we were able to locate an old photograph of Goldie while she was still in service. She was pictured wearing her original fire department markings, and the photograph appeared to show her participating in a parade with flags displayed. We also found additional photographs through Jersey Shore Fire Photography showing the same truck with her original department numbers.

It was pretty amazing to see photographs of our own fire truck from years earlier, back when she was still an active piece of firefighting equipment. Unfortunately, her original department lettering and badging had already been removed before I purchased her. But at least we have photographs showing what she looked like during her working years.

We also located an archived equipment listing identifying her as a 1989 Hahn pumper/tanker with a 1,000-gallon-per-minute pump and a 3,000-gallon water tank. She's a big girl!

A Fire Truck With a Connection to September 11, 2001

One of the things that makes Goldie particularly meaningful to us is her history. Goldie was still an active fire truck in New Jersey when the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks occurred in New York.

From what we understand of her history, she remained in New Jersey providing backup coverage while other fire apparatus from the region were sent to assist in New York. Goldie herself did not go to the World Trade Center. Her role, as we've understood it, was to help maintain fire protection closer to home while other departments and their more maneuverable apparatus responded to the emergency.

Although she wasn't directly involved at Ground Zero, we believe she played a supporting role during that extraordinary time. To us, that makes Goldie more than just an old fire truck. She's an example of the type of fire trucks used in NJ and NY during that time and a piece of firefighting history. And we're glad we were able to rescue her from retirement, preserve her, and keep her on the road.

Goldie's Retirement in California

These days, Goldie lives a much easier life at my Bellevue property in Santa Rosa. After years of firefighting service in New Jersey and one unforgettable journey across the United States, she's earned a little rest!

Jeffrey enjoys taking Goldie out with his family. He's driven her to church on Sundays, taken his daughters to school, made occasional trips to Home Depot, and given rides to friends and their children. She's also a big hit with the kids in Santa Rosa. After all, how many children can say their dad picks them up from school in a real fire truck?

Jeffrey is definitely the cool dad among his daughters' friends!

Unlike Jocelyn, which has participated in many organized community events and toy drives, Goldie's life in California has mostly been about family adventures, weekend drives, and making memories with the kids. And that's perfectly fine with us. She spent decades working hard as a fire truck. Now she gets to enjoy retirement.

One Fire Truck, Nine Days, and a Lifetime of Memories

When I first sent Jeffrey that eBay listing back in October 2021, I never imagined what would happen next. I thought we were just looking at another cool fire truck that happened to be for sale.

Instead, that one listing turned into a first airplane ride, a nine-day “vacation”, a cross-country camping adventure, family visits, roadside repairs, and memories that will last a lifetime.

Our second fire truck. A retired New Jersey firefighter. A cross-country traveler. And, no matter what Jeffrey says, Goldie Haan is definitely lime green! LOL!