Guardians of The City SFFD Home Page - San Francisco Fire Department Museum
Apparatus: Motorized

Searchlight Units
San Francisco Fire Department
In Order of Purchase
1929 - 1989

Shop # Year & Manufacture Details
LW-1 1928 Kleiber, closed-cab chassis with a body built at the SFFD Corporation Yard
    Registration #4353  
1928 Kleiber
  Engine: Continental 6-cylinder, 120 HP
  Kohler 10,000 Watt generator powered by a 4-cylinder gasoline engine
  One 2000 Watt floodlight
  Five 1000 Watt floodlights mounted on a swivel bar on top of the body
  Eight 400 Watt portable floodlights
  Four 500 foot reels of electrical cable on each side of apparatus
   
  In Service Company Details
  Assignments:
    April 18, 1929 - April 5, 1950 Searchlight 1
  1950   April 5th, destroyed in accident. Chassis damaged beyond repair.  Entire electrical system with generator and lights removed for re-installation on a new chassis

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Shop # Year & Manufacture Details
LW-2 1928 Kleiber, registration #4354, closed-cab chassis with a body built by the SFFD Corporation Yard
    Registration #4354  
  Engine: Continental 6-cylinder, 120 HP
  Kohler 10,000 Watt generator powered by a 4-cylinder gasoline engine
  One 2000 Watt floodlight
  Five 1000 Watt floodlights mounted on a swivel bar on top of the body
  Eight 400 Watt portable floodlights
  Four 500 foot reels of electrical cable on each side of apparatus
   
  In Service Company Details
  Assignments:
    May 23, 1929 - April 5, 1950 Searchlight 2
    April 5, 1950 - 1969 Searchlight 1
    1963 - 1973 Searchlight 2
    1973 Sold at the City & County San Francisco to the Kleiber family, San Rafael, California

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Shop # Year & Manufacture Details
LW-3 1952 G.M.C., registration #3872, closed-cab chassis with body built by the City & County Central Shops, Fire Shop
831   Registration #3872  
  Engine: G.M.C., 6-cylinder, 170 HP
  Generator, lights, and all elements of the electrical system from LW-1 installed in the new apparatus body
  1970:  SFFD Shop number changed to 831
  1975:   Old body and electrical system removed.  New appliances added:
  60 cycle, 15,000 W. generator powered by a Mercedes-Benz 4 cylinder, 26 HP diesel engine
  40 feet hydraulically-operated telescopic light tower installed with one 1000 Watt quartz-iodine lamp
  Two 1000 Watt wide beam Metalarc lamps
  Two 1500 Watt narrow beam Metalarc lamps
  Eight 500 Watt portable floodlights
  Four 500 foot reels of electrical cable on each side of apparatus
   
  In Service Company Details
  Assignments:
    1952 - 1969  Searchlight 2
    1969 - 1989 Searchlight 1
    1989  Chassis sold; electrical components removed for installation on new chassis

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Shop # Year & Manufacture Details
888 1989 Pirsch-Ford "C-8000" tilt-cab chassis with Pirsch-built body
  Engine: Caterpillar diesel, 210 HP
  Generator, lights, and electrical components from Shop number 831 installed by Pirsch
   
  In Service Company Details
  Assignments:
    1989 - Present (Nov. 2009) Searchlight 1

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