Federal FIRE BALL Family History

I specifically remember the FireBall advertised in either Sears or JCPenney's big catalog, c.1980.


Anybody just happen to have that?


I also have a Magenta dome for the FireBeam. Strange color of light that I believe signifies radiation or something... just thought it was cool so I ordered one.


As for the FireBall II, they rule. The FireBall is iconic, but the FireBall II can be used as effective warning, or as a deadly weapon when needed, like a rock or a baseball.


I bought an FB2 B1 new in 1985, and it came with the split dome as a distributor option. The two domes were cut in two, but because of the inset screw hole, they were cut off centerline. I got it that way since someone wanted one, also. Mine is a bit more red than blue; I guess the other fella has more blue.
 
Skip Goulet said:
While you didn't see a whole lot of them, The Fire Balls were available in permanent mount as well as the more popular magnetic mount. The small funeral home in the small town of Hale Center, TX, had a 1962 Chevy wagon as its ambulance. On top was a 174 beacon ray light flanked by a pair of red permanent mount Fire Balls on the front corners. Those Fire Ball lights outlasted the 174, and were still on the car when it was permanently retired in the late '80s.
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Back in the 70s my VAC in the Rochester, NY area had two type 2 ambulances. Both ambulances had a red fireball mounted on each side of the nose of the van. I may be wrong, but I think that was fairly common back then, at least in the Rochester area.


The photo shows an older ambulance than what we had when I started there, but you can see one of the Fireballs mounted on the front.


http://www.pittsfordambulance.org/imagesnew/vanambbig.jpg
 
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Absolutely.


Up the early 90s, ambulances in Montreal and Toronto had a similar set up, with FBs in red permanently mounted on top of the Econoline's front fenders.
 
Fireballs mounted on the fenders of Ford Econoline ambulances was pretty common in central Virginia in the 80's and 90's as well. Henrico Volunteer Rescue Squad ran ambulances in the late 1960's through the early 1980's with Fireball's mounted on the corners of their Ford F250 cabs, Fireballs mounted at the rear corners of the type I bodies and a 184 mounted near the front of the body. If I recall correctly, they had four ambulances set up in this fashion.
 
TDC said:
I specifically remember the FireBall advertised in either Sears or JCPenney's big catalog, c.1980.
Anybody just happen to have that?


I also have a Magenta dome for the FireBeam. Strange color of light that I believe signifies radiation or something... just thought it was cool so I ordered one.


As for the FireBall II, they rule. The FireBall is iconic, but the FireBall II can be used as effective warning, or as a deadly weapon when needed, like a rock or a baseball.


I bought an FB2 B1 new in 1985, and it came with the split dome as a distributor option. The two domes were cut in two, but because of the inset screw hole, they were cut off centerline. I got it that way since someone wanted one, also. Mine is a bit more red than blue; I guess the other fella has more blue.
Click to expand...

The magenta (purple) domes are for the funeral service. While there's never been official legislation on the color, it's become recognized all over. One strange use for purple I've seen is a wrecker service in Odessa that has purple Edge bars on their trucks.
 
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Tristar said:
Back in the 70s my VAC in the Rochester, NY area had two type 2 ambulances. Both ambulances had a red fireball mounted on each side of the nose of the van. I may be wrong, but I think that was fairly common back then, at least in the Rochester area.

The photo shows an older ambulance than what we had when I started there, but you can see one of the Fireballs mounted on the front.


http://www.pittsfordambulance.org/imagesnew/vanambbig.jpg
Click to expand...

Any idea who did the ambulance build? Looks a lot like a Wayne MediCruiser.
 
stansdds said:
Fireballs mounted on the fenders of Ford Econoline ambulances was pretty common in central Virginia in the 80's and 90's as well. Henrico Volunteer Rescue Squad ran ambulances in the late 1960's through the early 1980's with Fireball's mounted on the corners of their Ford F250 cabs, Fireballs mounted at the rear corners of the type I bodies and a 184 mounted near the front of the body. If I recall correctly, they had four ambulances set up in this fashion.
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CRS/Custom Coach International in Macallister, OK used fender-mounted Fireballs on their Type II and III ambulances into the late '80s.
 
Skip Goulet said:
Any idea who did the ambulance build? Looks a lot like a Wayne MediCruiser.
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Sorry, but I don't know...That rig was gone when I joined in 1978.
 
dmathieu said:
Here is a very vintage soft cloth storage bag that was shipped with very early portable FB-1 Fire Balls.
Obtained from one of our French Friends
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Now that's neat. I've never seen one of those!
 
Skip Goulet said:
Now that's neat. I've never seen one of those!
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I had one of those, and another collector who had never seen one before asked if it was an old bag...I told him no, she's at home. Just kidding!!!
 
dmathieu said:
I got the joke.....just bustin ya.

Apologize to your wife, (for the joke). not me. LOL
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This is getting way off topic, but my favorite line of the late comedian Sam Kinison was "You think terrorism scares me? I was married for 12 *&%%$#*ing years!" I think that's such a funny line, but my wife doesn't. I think she just doesn't have a sense of humor. Go figure.
 
Tristar said:
This is getting way off topic, but my favorite line of the late comedian Sam Kinison was "You think terrorism scares me? I was married for 12 *&%%$#*ing years!" I think that's such a funny line, but my wife doesn't. I think she just doesn't have a sense of humor. Go figure.
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On the contrary, I think she does have quite a solid one. She married you after all ! :crackup:
 
A new addition to my Fire Ball subcollection!


Just grabbed this FB-1 with the serial number 2A12F2.


This is not a normal serial number for a Fire Ball. 2A12 is normal.


Not sure what the extra letter/number F2 designate. Hope to learn more when light is received.

$(KGrHqNHJCEFIMsq!ZlIBSE8v+3wsQ~~60_57.jpg
 
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Tristar said:
I had one of those, and another collector who had never seen one before asked if it was an old bag...I told him no, she's at home. Just kidding!!!
Click to expand...

That's like the old addage: "home cooking" is where most guys think their wives are. :yes:
 
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dmathieu said:
A new addition to my Fire Ball subcollection!
Just grabbed this FB-1 with the serial number 2A12F2.


This is not a normal serial number for a Fire Ball. 2A12 is normal.


Not sure what the extra letter/number F2 designate. Hope to learn more when light is received.
Click to expand...

Whoaw. A mystery now. Keep us posted ;)
 
dmathieu said:
A new addition to my Fire Ball subcollection!
Just grabbed this FB-1 with the serial number 2A12F2.


This is not a normal serial number for a Fire Ball. 2A12 is normal.


Not sure what the extra letter/number F2 designate. Hope to learn more when light is received.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm, interesting, that's a new one for me. :undecided:
 
dmathieu said:
A new addition to my Fire Ball subcollection!
Just grabbed this FB-1 with the serial number 2A12F2.


This is not a normal serial number for a Fire Ball. 2A12 is normal.


Not sure what the extra letter/number F2 designate. Hope to learn more when light is received.
Click to expand...

After stripping cleaning and lubricating, I'm unable to find any difference in this light with the 2A12F2 serial number designation and regular 2A12 serial number lights. I guess this will be another rare one in my Fire Ball sub-collection This Fire Ball is one of the first versions, due to the types of screws used in assembly. This light is in near pristine, probably never used condition, with virtually no wear marks on the brass drive gear due to rotation between the 2 snap rings
 
dmathieu said:
After stripping cleaning and lubricating, I'm unable to find any difference in this light with the 2A12F2 serial number designation and regular 2A12 serial number lights. I guess this will be another rare one in my Fire Ball sub-collection This Fire Ball is one of the first versions, due to the types of screws used in assembly. This light is in near pristine, probably never used condition, with virtually no wear marks on the brass drive gear due to rotation between the 2 snap rings
Click to expand...

Wow! I think this one I'd hold onto for a while, Dan!
 
dmathieu said:
After stripping cleaning and lubricating, I'm unable to find any difference in this light with the 2A12F2 serial number designation and regular 2A12 serial number lights. I guess this will be another rare one in my Fire Ball sub-collection This Fire Ball is one of the first versions, due to the types of screws used in assembly. This light is in near pristine, probably never used condition, with virtually no wear marks on the brass drive gear due to rotation between the 2 snap rings
Click to expand...

That is odd, for sure. Fed Sig did not make a habit of stamping unique serial or series numbers just for giggles and grins. There must be a reason, perhaps it was a special purchase by a particular agency? Does it have the prefocused bulb or a standard 1157 bulb?
 
stansdds said:
That is odd, for sure. Fed Sig did not make a habit of stamping unique serial or series numbers just for giggles and grins. There must be a reason, perhaps it was a special purchase by a particular agency? Does it have the prefocused bulb or a standard 1157 bulb?
Click to expand...
It has a prefocused bulb.
 
Here is another difference between the original FB-1 and the original Cycle Signal motorcycle light.


All FB-1s have the guts of the light mounted to a somewhat triangular shaped plate which is mounted through rubber grommets to the base plate of the light for vibration dampening. The cycle Signal has the guts mounted directly to the aluminum base of the light.


Here are some pics to show this.


The vibration dampening system must not have worked well with the vibration associated with motorcycles.

S6303303.jpg

S6303494.jpg
 
Interesting information on the Harley Cycle light.
 
Just received this gem from a fellow board member in trade for some aero items. This is an ordered item from federal signal as he has the original history of the fireball from date of purchase to me. Looks to be hardly used if at all. the cig plug has very few scratches from use and the items inside show little to no wear!

IMG_2191.jpg

IMG_2192.jpg

IMG_2193.jpg

IMG_2194.jpg

IMG_2195.jpg

IMG_2196.jpg
 
ryan said:
Just received this gem from a fellow board member in trade for some aero items. This is an ordered item from federal signal as he has the original history of the fireball from date of purchase to me. Looks to be hardly used if at all. the cig plug has very few scratches from use and the items inside show little to no wear!
Click to expand...

Nice, Ryan. That's the first split-dome Fireball I've ever seen. But I'm not surprised. Federal offered split domes on almost every other beacon they made.
 
LT214 has a side by side split but I do not know if it is a factory job. I am certain that this is from the factory.
 
ryan said:
LT214 has a side by side split but I do not know if it is a factory job. I am certain that this is from the factory.
Click to expand...


Sadly I do not have the history to confirm that mine is a "factory split" but is is all Federal parts and appears to be a factory cut. Perhaps a special order late production as it came to me on an FBH??


ai839.photobucket.com_albums_zz312_ccr203_Fire_20Ball_20Family_splitfireball.jpg


Chris
 
Split color Fireball domes are exceedingly rare. My 1985 Service Parts Index lists blue-red and green-red as being the only split color domes available as stock items.


It seems to me that it would be easier to split the FB domes front to back than to do a side to side cut.
 
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