Submitted Photos
Eric Hastings, 35, a firefighter with the Warren Fire Department and one-half of the proprietorship of the Bucket Brigade Pizza Company stands at the back of a converted and restored 1955 Pirsch Engine fire truck next to the pizza making oven they added.
Bucket Brigade Pizza consists of an old, fully restored, 1955 Pirsch Engine fire truck, in which the back end of the apparatus has been converted into a firestone/brick pizza-making oven. However, all the truck’s original firefighting equipment is still fully functional, including water lines, lights, sirens and removable handheld gear like a ladder and an ax. The truck was an active fire fighting vehicle in service with the Waukesha Fire Department in Wisconsin before being retired. It then ended up in the hands of a firefighting collector’s display when the Hastings purchased it.
“My wife (Natalie) wasn’t really on board with this idea of starting a pizza business,” said Eric Hastings, 35, a Warren firefighter. “But I’m a firefighter, a big red fire truck and pizza, she finally came around to the idea.”
The Bucket Brigade Pizza truck has been seen in action recently and spotted at several locations across Pennsylvania and in Western New York.
“We’ve served pizza in Warren, Youngsville, Clarion and at the Audubon in Chautauqua County,” said Eric Hastings. “We’re also going to be at Lucy Fest this year and we hope to head up to Dunkirk and Fredonia this year too.”
Bucket Brigade Pizza is a fire truck pizza business developed by Natalie and Eric Hastings of Sugar Grove, Pa. The firefighting apparatus is a full-restored, 1955 Pirsch Engine fire truck, in which the back end of the apparatus has been converted into a firestone/brick pizza-making oven.
According to Eric Hastings, not only do children seem to be drawn to the shiny old Pierce Engine, but adults, business and special requests have forced the husband and wife to expand their business model.
“Kids love it,” he said. “My firemen’s union has used it, and we are also doing catering events and special parties because there’s been such a demand for it.”
However, for the couple it’s not all about making money. They believe in giving back whenever they can to the local communities which they serve.
“We have these “Giveback Days,” he said. “We get tips when we set up shop, and in turn, we use those tips to finance days when we can give out free pizzas to those that are hungry or non-profit organizations.”
The next free “Give-Back- Day” for the Bucket Brigade Pizza truck is scheduled for Sunday at the First Nazarene Church in Warren, Pa. from noon to 3 p.m. For more information, visit the Bucket Brigade Pizza Company’s Facebook page at facebook.com/BucketBrigadePizzaCo.