‘King’ of the firefighters

In 1928, 4-year-old Harry Hibler Jr. was a kind of mascot for the all-volunteer Huntington Beach fire department. Dressed in full uniform complete with helmet, he’d spend his weekends down at the station with his father, a volunteer firefighter, or riding along on a 1923 Seagrave fire engine, the city’s very first.

“I was kind of the king of the walk, being the little guy, and [the firefighters] all watched out for me and took care of me,” he said.

Eighty years later, Hibler remembers his days as a boy, getting to see fires all over Huntington Beach from the safety of that engine. So when he found out the Huntington Beach Firefighters Assn. had decided to rebuild it to vintage condition for the city’s centennial year, he hopped onboard to help promote the effort.

“I feel so wonderful about them inviting me and including me in their program,” Hibler said. “This is just the start of it, pal. I’ll be down there every chance I get.”

Hibler connected with the association after his cousin saw a vintage photo of the engine with 4-year-old Hibler along for the ride in a story in the Independent last year. The cousin recognized his relative instantly.

After some chaotic times that included the death of his wife, Hibler finally got in touch with the association; soon enough, he had traveled down to a barbecue at the Boeing facility where the engine is now kept for restoration.

“I enjoyed it so much,” he said. “It was really great how people are taking to this restoration program.”

Hibler’s father, Harry Hibler Sr., was an Edison employee and had close ties to the rest of the fire department.

The men played golf on off days and were brothers at the local Masonic lodge, and Hibler said he stayed in touch with many of them for a lifetime.

“It was just like a big family,” he said. “A lot of the guys, I knew them into advanced ages. Those guys were thicker than thieves, just wonderful people.”

An oil town like Huntington Beach had fires constantly, and the sense of adventure was priceless for a young boy, Hibler said.

“I had my own little uniform and badge and hat. I was quite a dude in those days,” he said.

As for the current restoration, firefighters have found another Seagrave truck in Tennessee they’re going to ship out here and strip for parts, said engineer Rex Rysewyk, who is on the association’s Seagrave committee.

They hope to get the truck in full working order by the centennial year Fourth of July Parade in 2009, with Hibler riding along.

The only obstacle: the $120,000 or so it’ll take to complete, Rysewyk said.

“It’s going to drive on its own, pump water, and it’s going to look brand new,” he said. “We’re really going to push hard; it just depends on the funding.”

For more information on the project or to help out, go to hbfa.org or call (714) 442-9826.

MICHAEL ALEXANDER may be reached at (714) 966-4618 or at michael.alexander@latimes.com.