Award recipient Oakdale Fire Department, which is staffed and operated by Modesto Fire Department, is preserving 1923 Van Pelt 50 GPM pumper/425-gallon water tender serial number 1, which is the very first fire engine ever designed and built specifically for fighting fires in crop fields and pastures. This fire engine also was the first of more than 3,800 fire engines that have been built in Oakdale, in 100 years of production and counting. Restored by Oakdale firefighters in the 1980s, this historic fire engine has been maintained, preserved, and paraded ever since. This award has already been presented by Van Pelt Chapter Vice President Chris Egebjerg, Directlor Michael Gilliam, and Secretary Ed Hass, on June 24, 2023, to Jesse Nicasio, who at that time was Modesto’s fire chief for the Oakdale district. (Chris Egebjerg photo)