AURORA | The Aurora City Council unanimously gave a big nod to Big John Monday night.
Lawmakers agreed to bestow special historical honors on a 1955 Seagrave fire engine known affectionately as “Big John,” recognizing the vintage apparatus for its engineering innovation and decades of service to the community.
Lawmakers sealed the fire engine’s designation as a local landmark, citing its significance for its lasting contributions to Aurora’s fire service heritage and for its engineering design, state of the art in the 1950s.
Its nickname is believed to have been inspired from the early 1960s song “Big John” by Jimmy Dean, a nod to the truck’s imposing presence.
Custom-ordered in 1955 by the then-Aurora Volunteer Fire Department, Big John is a Seagrave Series 900 model equipped with a 1,000-gallon-per-minute pump and the largest V-12 engine available at the time.
The fire engine was part of the celebrated “70th Anniversary” line produced by Seagrave Fire Equipment Corporation, widely recognized as the oldest manufacturer of fire apparatus in the United States, according to Mike Ackman, a retired Aurora firefighter leading the charge to honor Big John.
City officials said the engine’s now-uncommon open cab design gave fire officers clear visibility upon arriving at emergency scenes, improving response in an era before modern communication and navigation technology. The truck also featured a large pump, sizable engine and an array of equipment standard for the day, including ground ladders, hoses, nozzles, warning lights and a siren.
Known for its power and rugged build, Big John also developed a reputation among firefighters as difficult to handle, Ackman said. With limited braking capacity and unsynchronized gears, it required skill to operate but could reach high speeds once in motion.
Originally assigned to Aurora’s initial Station 1 on East 16th Avenue, the engine served as Aurora’s primary fire apparatus before being reassigned to other stations, including Stations 4 and 5, where it often became the first engine housed at newly opened locations.
The fire engine was retired from service in the 1970s.
Over time, Big John has become a fixture by trucking through community events, appearing in parades, firefighter funerals and public gatherings.
The engine’s Aurora cultural legacy extends further. Each year, Aurora’s Dry Dock Brewing Company partners with Local 1290 to host a homebrew competition in which the winning firefighter’s recipe is dubbed “Big John Ale.”
Physically, the custom red engine retains much of its original character, including steel running boards, a Mars warning light on the hood, a “Roto Ray” triple rotating light atop the windshield, a bell mounted on the passenger side and the lettering “Number 5” on the hood with “Aurora FD Fire Dept.” on its doors.
In the 1980s, the original hose bed was removed to add bench seating for parade appearances, one of the few alterations made to the vehicle.
Council members agreed that preserving the engine as a historic landmark will ensure that it remains a tangible link to Aurora’s early days of fire service and a symbol of generations of firefighters who served the city.