A pivotal part of an annual Vienna tradition is facing issues as the Holiday season approaches. The 1946 Maxim fire engine, traditionally driven around Vienna by Santa Claus and his firefighting team during December, is out of service and currently being repaired. Instead of on the beloved ’49 Maxim, Santa and his firefighting elves ride on modern firefighting equipment this holiday season. After being in service for over 75 years, the truck will not make an appearance for this year’s Santa Runs.
“[The Maxim] had been bandaided for the past few years just to get it through the holiday season,” Adam Sterl, Deputy Chief at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, said.
Its last complete refurbishment was completed in the 1990s, meaning real maintenance was long overdue. The truck has been in the shop since May, and progress is still being made.
“As [mechanics] were taking it apart, they found more issues that were just too much; from the brakes, to rewiring, a lot of the truck’s parts were toast,” Sterl said. “It’s hard to find parts for such an old vehicle. We didn’t want to spend donors’ money on an antique like this instead of stuff that is more important to our mission.”
So, to finance repairs and restore the ’49 Maxim, the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department has turned to the community. The department has been met with great enthusiasm, as the Maxim is a Vienna icon, cherished for its nostalgic feel.
“Santa coming around was a core Christmas memory for me,” Elizabeth Cate (’26) said. “When I heard the vintage truck wasn’t coming around this year, I was a little sad.”
The department began a “Save Santa’s Sleigh” campaign through the Give Lively fundraising platform. As of Dec. 4, donations have totaled $77,874, well exceeding the fundraising goal of $50,000. While this will more than cover the cost of repairs, maintenance still won’t finish by Dec. 13, when Santa will begin his rounds.
“The parts are just taking too long to source,” Sterl said. “We even had to send the engine to a different state because nobody near here knew how to fix such an old engine. It’s looking like it will be around January when it is ready.”
In addition to the Give Lively fundraiser, the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department appeared in the town’s annual Oktoberfest, where Santa could be seen selling a t-shirt with a ‘Pit Crew’ patch on the front and the slogan, ‘Save Santa’s Sleigh’ written on the back. Each shirt was sold for $25, with all the proceeds going towards fixing the fire truck.
By taking the time to preserve the truck, the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department is hopeful the Maxim can stay up and running for years to come.
“We believe this will be a long-term solution, and we are looking to keep this tradition alive,” Sterl said.
