On the Record with ... Brian Christ

HARVARD – When Brian Christ’s friend told him about her mission work in Central and South Americas, he was intrigued.

A firefighter, paramedic and emergency room nurse, Christ kept her story stored in the back of his mind.

She later told him the group for which she volunteers, Hearts In Motion, needed firefighting equipment for firefighters in Guatemala and Ecuador. He started paying closer attention.

That’s because Christ has a special collection of used fire engines. He’s already given one away to Waverly, a small town in southern Illinois. Now his next bright-red engine is headed to Ecuador via a shipping container.

The 1981 fire engine is fully restored, in working condition and ready to be put to good use.

Firefighters from Guatemala and Ecuador also will come for training in various suburban fire departments, although none in McHenry County.

The Harvard resident and Roselle Fire Department firefighter and paramedic recently brought some of his fire engine collection during an interview with Northwest Herald reporter Chelsea McDougall.

McDougall: Tell me, how does one start collecting fire engines?

Christ: On a whim I actually bought this one from the Rockton Fire Department. They couldn’t get rid of it, so I said, ‘I’ll give you a certain amount for it.’ Next thing you know, the chief called me and said, ‘Come pick up your ladder truck,’ and it never ended. ... I started collecting on a whim, and then all of a sudden I have six, and then I have seven, then I gave one away and now I’m giving another one away. ... [I find them through] word of mouth, Craigslist. Once you start collecting these, it’s a smaller world.

McDougall: Sounds like an expensive habit.

Christ: It is an expensive habit. You have to have the space and a fantastic network of these older mechanics and older firemen who know how to fix them. It’s like an archaeological dig sometimes to try to find the parts for these.

McDougall: Tell me how you got involved with fire service.

Christ: I started off as a volunteer firefighter in Woodstock 11 years ago. My grandfather founded the Galena Fire District back in the early ’40s. ... I was one of those kids that always wanted to be a firefighter when I grew up. I had a little wagon, and I put a garden hose on it and pretended I was a firefighter. And I never outgrew it.

McDougall: And then you went to nursing school?

Christ: I think male nurses are an asset to their profession. ... Being a paramedic, I see both ends. ... I think being a nurse makes you a better paramedic, and being a paramedic makes you a better nurse.

McDougall: Tell me about the first fire engine you donated?

Christ: The first one I gave away was to a kind of poor off department. They didn’t have a lot of equipment. So that year, four years ago, they came up here and we sent them with some other stuff I gathered up. We sent down seven truckloads of equipment ... to them. Old hoses, gloves, helmets, appliances, nozzles and so forth.

McDougall: That’s incredible. People must have really latched onto the idea.

Christ: We’re very fortunate up in this area to have a little bit more money than some of these other departments. So we were very fortunate to be able to send [these items].

McDougall: And the training with the Ecuadorians and Guatemalans. How does that go?

Christ: They’re extremely ecstatic that somebody will go out of their way to help them. We all volunteer our time. We have the benefit of very good training up here, so we can kind of pass it along to them.

The Christ lowdown

Who is he? Brian Christ is a firefighter and paramedic with the Roselle Fire Department and an emergency room nurse. He’s donating a fire engine.

Hometown: Harvard.

Age: 48.

Favorite Movies: “Uncle Buck” or “Young Frankenstein.”

Favorite music: Bruce Springsteen. He’s seen Springsteen seven times and is going to see him for an eighth this summer.

Interesting tidbit: He met director John Hughes at a Harvard gas station.

To donate to Hearts In Motion’s Firefighter Wish List, email Christ at brianpchrist@gmail.com.