In August 1941, Mayor Arthur Prestine instructed the fire and water committee, to inspect the Cayuga Hose Company’s truck, which was reported to be in very bad shape. A policy had been established earlier that, the apparatus was not to be used when it was found to be in bad shape. The fire and water committee must have verified that the Cayuga’s truck was indeed in bad shape and in need of replacement.

On August 18, 1941, Trustees Walter Szyperski and John Bauer, of the fire and water committee resolved that the village clerk advertises for bids and with the village attorney, prepare a sale of bonds to purchase a new fire engine for the Cayuga Hose Company.

On September 2nd, the purchase of a new truck was delayed to a later date, and in the meantime; the village was to contact Congressman Alfred F. Beiter in regard to renting fire apparatus for the Cayuga’s.

At the following board meeting, a delegation from the Cayuga Hose Company appeared before the village board and pressured the board to begin the process of acquiring the new fire truck for the company.

The resolutions to advertise for bids on the truck and the bond issue, which had previously been held over for action on September 2nd, were acted on following the presentation made by the members of the Cayuga Hose Company. Sealed proposals were to be received on September 19th for (1) 500 G.P.M. pumper, fully equipped as per specifications, which had been developed. The bond issue to borrow $4,250 in order to make the purchase was adopted on September 15, 1941, the bonds were to be sold on September 26th.

The bids were received on September 19th, at a special meeting of the board and the contract was awarded to the Buffalo Fire Appliance Corporation in the amount of $4,250. The truck was to be built on a 1942 G.M.C. chassis, with a 500 G.P.M. centrifugal pump and a hose bed. This rig was basically a duplicate of the trucks that had been purchased from Buffalo Fire Appliance for the Hose Company Number One and Central Hose Company Number Four.

On January 19, 1942, the Office of Production Management notified the Village of Depew, that the request made in September for a pumper for the Cayuga Hose Company, had been denied.

On May 18th, the village clerk was instructed to check with the truck manufacturer on the progress being made in building the Cayuga’s truck. Several weeks later, the truck was thought to be ready for inspection, but this was found not to be true. By early July, Trustee Bauer of the fire and water committee, reported that the village board and the Cayuga’s truck committee were to travel to the Buffalo Fire Appliance facility to make an inspection but this visit was delayed until July 22nd when the Cayuga Hose Company truck committee consisting of Chief Frank Wendel, Ernest Gainey, Raymond Prestine, Neal Bauer and Henry Young, Jr. The truck was inspected and accepted by the committee and delivery was to be made in three weeks.

In preparation for the delivery of the new pumper, a new door had to be installed on the firehouse and a new driveway was constructed.

Finally, on August 17th, Trustee Bauer reported to the village board that the new fire truck had been delivered to the Village of Depew several days earlier and a special meeting was called in order that the village board could inspect and accept the new fire engine. The new fire engine was accepted after certification of testing by the Board of Fire Underwriters was provided by Buffalo Fire Appliance Corporation. The Cayuga’s at the annual fire department inspection on August 22nd proudly displayed the new rig.

The purchase of the Cayuga’s fire truck was the last purchase of any fire apparatus for the Depew Fire Department for the next nine years. During World War II, various attempts were made to increase the fire department’s resources by trying to secure additional equipment thru the National Defense Program. Fire Chief Frank Wendel had attended a meeting of the National Defense program in the City of Buffalo and learned that a portable skid pump could be mounted on a pickup truck and used as an auxiliary fire pump in the case of an emergency.

In July 1943, Walter Winter, Area Director of the National Defense program in the Town of Lancaster said, that the Village of Depew could put into service the defense materials that were stored in the village hall garage including hose, pumps, and other items.

The following month, the village board ordered the purchase of a used pickup truck for the fire department to be used in the civil defense program, at a price not to exceed $130. A skid pump was mounted on the newly acquired pickup truck and used as an auxiliary pump.

Other precautions which were taken for the duration of the war, that all of the chrome on the fire engines were painted black, sirens were removed from use on the engines, and only bells were used as warning devices. The various railroads, which ran through the village, were all concerned about the availability of gas masks for the firemen since they were all shipping various gases on their railroads that passed through the village.