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This 1958 Pirsch 100' tillered aerial was owned by Beverly Hills, CA. It was delivered after being shown on the
floor of the International Fire Chief's Convention in LA that year after taking almost a year to build.
Pirsch was a small builder in Kenosha, WI and built their own ladders with a unique latticed aluminum design. This
truck was originally powered by a 6 cylinder gas engine but was upgraded to a 550 hp Detroit diesel engine in 1972.
The polished aliminum wheels and radial tires were added at some point as well. The truck originally was equipped with
a waterway and fixed ladder pipe at the end of the bed section but this was removed during it's service life.
A Snorkel is an articulating platform. It was originally developed by the Chicago FD by modifying a tree trimming
truck. Snorkels were popular in the 1960's and 70's but fell out of favor due to several factors including limited capabilities
and the length of truck required to carry a useful length.
This example is a 1968 built for Parsons, Kansas by the Snorkel Corp, of St. Joseph, MO. Snorkel built the 75'
boom and outriggers on an International chassis with a Cinncinatti cab. The engine is an International V-8. The
body work was done by Pierce. It has a 1000 gpm Waterous pump and carries no water.
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