"Dancing the Two Step"

I had the opportunity to drive Engine 11 to a school carnival this morning where we displayed it for the kids and parents alike.  When I fired it up, the sound of the old Thermodyne as it cackled to life brought back many good memories of days gone by.  As I drove through the streets of Summerville on the way to our show, I enjoyed the old “two step” it takes to coax this old truck through the gears. Quite frankly, it gave me some satisfaction that I can still manage to get it done. You see, the “two step” is a process of double clutching and feathering the gas pedal to get it through the gears.  It does takes some hand and foot coordination to get the “dance” down pat. In addition, you must begin to turn the steering wheel well before your turn or you’ll never catch up to that old wheel in time to make it.  When we arrived at the carnival, I parked Engine 11 next to a Goose Creek Rural Fire Department engine that was state of the art for today.  It was equipped with air conditioning, power steering, automatic transmission and all the other bells and whistles; truly a nice truck.  I couldn’t help but wonder what will replace it fifty years from now?