The 1946 Jeep had become an important resouce vehicle for Bower Hill. It was a little small and a little uncomfortable for the purpose, though, and by 1962, it was beginning to wear out. The department decided to stay with the same concept, but in a bigger and better package. It purchased a 1962 Jeep FC-170 chassis, with a Stahl fully-enclosed utility body, and had Doerr Brothers of Pittsburgh install a 20KW generator set that had been built for an industrial user who had changed their plans and didn't accept delivery. The generator was mounted in a wire mesh enclosure in the forward part of the body, and was powered by a power take-off from the driveline. It had a 10-Ton front-mounted winch, and all the light rescue tools from the old Jeep were placed in the compartments. It was used in the same way as the older Jeep, primarily as a mobile power plant, and secondarily for light rescue. It could also be used as a Squad, purely to transport manpower.

This vehicle was distinctive in several ways. One was that it had no exhaust mufflers. (Fire apparatus in Pennsylvania are exempt from the part of the vehicle code that requires them). The straight exhaust stack came up behind the cab, and the vehicle could be distinguished by the roaring noise and foot-long flames shooting from the stack.

The photo is of the owner's manual for Bower Hill's 1962 Jeep. We don't have a good photo of the entire vehicle itself. If anyone has such a picture, please let us know.


It's impossible to see just what's inside the vehicle in this picture, taken at the Allegheny County Fair in South Park. This unit was a regular participant at such events because of its electrical generating capacity.  It is no doubt being used in that role in this photo; the post with the cup inverted on it at the extreme left of the shot is one of the grounding rods.


The storage area was more than ample for the equipment carried at the time. The generator took up a good deal of the space inside.


By this time, all calls were dispatched by radio, and all vehicles were given radio call signs. Bower Hill was "Station 4" on the South Hills Firemen's Association system, and this vehicle had the call sign, Rescue 4-C.