Historic Fire Truck ‘Spirit Of Oklahoma’ Saved By Last-Minute Anonymous Donor

An anonymous donor gave $15,000 to bring the Spirit of Oklahoma, a fire truck with ties to the Oklahoma City Bombing and 9/11, back home.

Thursday, June 17th 2021, 10:22 pm

By: Grant Stephens

TULSA, Oklahoma -

A last-minute donation rescued a fire truck with ties to the Oklahoma City Bombing and 9/11.

The fundraiser to get enough money to bring it back to Oklahoma almost ended $15,000 short, but in the final hours of the deadline an anonymous donor saved the Spirit of Oklahoma.

The historic fire truck that bears the names of ten heroes to Oklahoma and New York, carrying the legacy of an inseparable bond between the two states, will finally come home.

Calera Fire Department Lieutenant Jake Trujillo always had faith the truck would make it home. He was ecstatic when he heard about the donation.

"I jumped out of my chair and danced around the room," he said.

Others, like Debbie Fast and Carol Scott of Fort Gibson, weren't so sure when they saw the department was still so far from the $25,000 goal the night before the deadline.

"It just saddened our hearts to think, you know, that something so historical is not going to be there anymore," Fast said. "And I sort of felt helpless."

Fast and Scott both helped write the first pages of the truck's story. They were the two Fort Gibson teachers whose students helped raise money to buy the truck and presented it to New York Firefighters 19 years ago.

With the funds secured and plans to bring it back to Oklahoma in the works, they can breathe a sigh of relief and appreciate once again the generous spirit of the state.

"Well that just shows the spirit of Oklahoma," Scott said. "Because they all worked together for a great common cause."

Trujillo said he's working with fire and police stations across America who are planning a cross country road trip for the truck in a few weeks. It will end up at the Tulsa Fire Museum.