A True Fire Truck Fanatic

For George Demchak, it’s a family hobby. It’s a hobby that brings his whole family – wife Lora, sons Brandon and Ryan, daughter Ashley, and Dalmatian Mackcee – together, and has allowed them to go on several interesting adventures. Collecting fire trucks and restoring them at his home in Greene County, PA has taken George and family to many different movie sets around the country, given them the opportunity to meet quite a few celebrities, and has furnished him with some great anecdotes.

George’s interest in fire trucks started at a young age. “It’s in my blood,” George says. “I grew up in Crucible and went to school in Carmichaels. I spent a lot of my time around the fire department.” He joined the fire department when he was old enough and spent the next thirty years working as a paramedic. He also worked construction for a time before finally finding his way to the coalmine, where he worked for four years.

In 2007, however, George’s life changed drastically when he was involved in mining accident. He was crushed by a long wall shield, which resulted in the loss of his right leg. The accident left him out of work and with a long recovery ahead of him. The long recuperation period left him with a lot of recreational time but not a lot to do with that time - until a close friend suggested George start collecting fire trucks.

So George did. He began his collection of fire trucks and emergency vehicles. His first truck purchase came from Staten Island in New York. It was a tower ladder truck from a man that claimed the truck had been “used in some movies.” Heedless of the significance of that comment and the truck’s unlikely past, George bought the truck that was known as Ladder 64. He exchanged information with the man in case someone would ever need it to be used for film or television and then started off for home. By the time he got here, two emails were waiting for him requesting Ladder 64, and the adventures began.

Eventually, George got a call from a movie studio asking if he could bring Ladder 64 to Harlem, New York to work on the film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, starring Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig. The movie studio would pay all the expenses involved in the trip; George just needed to bring Ladder 64. To keep himself company, George brought along one of his sons and headed for New York.

The first day filming lasted twelve hours and didn’t get all the needed shots, leading into another day of filming on Memorial Day. During down time in the course of filming, George was able to get a chance to talk to Ben Stiller and get a picture. Afterwards, Stiller allowed his son to go over and explore the fire truck. Before too much exploring took place, “A blonde lady came running over excitedly to see what was going on, “ George says. It was Christine Taylor, Stiller’s wife. “She wanted to go for a ride in Ladder 64 and so we took the truck out into Manhattan, sirens blasting, traffic pulling over to get out of the way. Then Ms. Taylor wanted to do the same thing on the way back, so we did all the way back to where they were filming and interrupting the movie,” he laughs.

Some of the other movies and television series in which Ladder 64 and George’s other vehicles have been featured are: The Amazing Spiderman, Salt, White Collar, Law & Order, Royal Pains, Rescue Me, The Get Down, and John Wick 2. Recently, the studio producing Shades of Blue, starring Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta, has contacted George because they might have a need for some of his trucks.

However, Ladder 64 won’t be doing the traveling with George anymore. “Ladder 64 is actually back to work and is now part of the Morrell Volunteer Fire Company in Dunbar, PA,” he explains, “I’m sad to see it go, but I really do have my hands full with all the other vehicles…and I’m working on several restorations.”

Like any vehicle left out in the elements, fire trucks begin to rust, their paint and decals begin to fade, and parts begin to dry out. Except, unlike most other vehicles, the parts on fire trucks, especially the older and rare ones, are much more expensive and difficult to replace. As George began to expand his collection even further, he needed a place to house the trucks. So he built his own fire station to house his increasing number of fire trucks, complete with mementos and souvenirs. Currently, his collection numbers at ten vehicles and includes a 1971 customized Chevy Ambulance from Raleigh, a rare 1973 Warsaw fire truck originally from Queens, and a custom Can-Am Snow Rescue vehicle.

When he’s not on set at filming locations, George participates in a variety of local events. His fire trucks can be seen at the King Coal Parade in Carmichaels, Good Neighbor Days in Bruceton, WV, Pumpkinfest in Confluence, PA, New Salem VFD Hog Roast in New Salem, PA, the Western PA Fireman’s Association parade in Monessen, PA, and more. He’s also glad to take the trucks to local charity events, and often takes his vehicles to local Touch-A-Truck events. George says, “I really enjoy taking the trucks out. I’d love to be able to do something with Make-A-Wish. I’m always willing to help someone fulfill their dreams.”

Published in September 2017 GreeneScene Magazine.