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History lesson
Legacy of the Mattydale Lay
June 29th, 2010
Former Mattydale (N.Y.) Fire Chief Bert Eno passed away in February at the age of 98. But his legacy lives on in the fire service.
In 1947, Eno created the first pre-connected crossbed hose lay. Instead of parallel placement in the rear of the truck, he devised a platform above the pump for perpendicular storage. This design allowed for rapid deployment of attack lines and was first installed on the department’s 1939 Buffalo engine. The Mattydale lay, as it was known in the north, was the original cross/speed/transverse lay.
Eno’s grandson, Doug Eno, works for HMA Fire Apparatus, a producer of ultra-high-pressure and high-mobility fire apparatus.
“He was really impressed with how far the technology has progressed,” Doug Eno said.
The Mattydale Fire Department has a history of keeping it in the family. It purchased fire trucks from three generations of the Saulsbury family. Saulsbury Fire and Rescue Apparatus was a true American success story.
Founded in 1956, Sam Saulsbury was a small, local builder of apparatus. The family owned business began to grow during the 1960s and 1970s as more and more area departments began ordering their new apparatus from the company. In 1998, the Saulsburys sold their company to E-One.
Bert Eno stopped by the E-One facility in Ocala, Fla., for a tour in 2005. “My grandfather never said anything, but when the people at E-One spotted ‘Mattydale’ on the sign-in sheet, the E-One folks made a big deal out of him being there,” Doug Eno said. “My father was amazed at the reaction of the people from E-One, consequently E-One has a special place for me because of how they treated my grandfather.”
And more recently, Eric Saulsbury, who works for KME Fire Apparatus, sold a custom pumper to Mattydale Fire Department to replace a 1979 Hahn Fire Apparatus. From 1920 to 1989, Hahn was based in Hamburg, Pa., and built custom and commercial apparatus. “Mattydale’s Hahn was sold by Alan, my father,” Eric Saulsbury said.
It’s a small world, the fire service.
In 1947, Eno created the first pre-connected crossbed hose lay. Instead of parallel placement in the rear of the truck, he devised a platform above the pump for perpendicular storage. This design allowed for rapid deployment of attack lines and was first installed on the department’s 1939 Buffalo engine. The Mattydale lay, as it was known in the north, was the original cross/speed/transverse lay.
Eno’s grandson, Doug Eno, works for HMA Fire Apparatus, a producer of ultra-high-pressure and high-mobility fire apparatus.
“He was really impressed with how far the technology has progressed,” Doug Eno said.
The Mattydale Fire Department has a history of keeping it in the family. It purchased fire trucks from three generations of the Saulsbury family. Saulsbury Fire and Rescue Apparatus was a true American success story.
Founded in 1956, Sam Saulsbury was a small, local builder of apparatus. The family owned business began to grow during the 1960s and 1970s as more and more area departments began ordering their new apparatus from the company. In 1998, the Saulsburys sold their company to E-One.
Bert Eno stopped by the E-One facility in Ocala, Fla., for a tour in 2005. “My grandfather never said anything, but when the people at E-One spotted ‘Mattydale’ on the sign-in sheet, the E-One folks made a big deal out of him being there,” Doug Eno said. “My father was amazed at the reaction of the people from E-One, consequently E-One has a special place for me because of how they treated my grandfather.”
And more recently, Eric Saulsbury, who works for KME Fire Apparatus, sold a custom pumper to Mattydale Fire Department to replace a 1979 Hahn Fire Apparatus. From 1920 to 1989, Hahn was based in Hamburg, Pa., and built custom and commercial apparatus. “Mattydale’s Hahn was sold by Alan, my father,” Eric Saulsbury said.
It’s a small world, the fire service.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on
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Thanks very much for the interesting history lesson.
Most of us have heard the term, "Mattydale," but I certainly had no idea where the term originated. I've installed them on various apparatus over the years without thinking they might have been named after a person.
Rich family history. Keep it going.
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