Yuma firefighter transforms vintage fire engine into one-of-a-kind tap truck
Skylar Heisey
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – What started as a Facebook Marketplace listing has turned into a years-long passion project for Yuma firefighter Raul Carlos.
Carlos, who has spent the last 10 years in the fire service, found the vintage 1978 Pierce fire engine online and knew he couldn’t pass it up.
“When I saw it, the listing was posted maybe a couple days, and it was one of those where I knew I had to do it,” Carlos said.
The fire engine has a long history. Originally built for a fire department in Ohio, it later made its way to Arizona, where several owners began restoring it before Carlos took over the project.
Despite its new purpose, the truck still operates much like a traditional fire engine.
“You have a captain, you have a driver, or what we call engineers,” Carlos explained. “All these switches control how you get water to your nozzles and your hoses.”
But inside the truck’s compartments, the story changes.
Carlos is converting the fire engine into a mobile tap truck featuring eight taps capable of serving everything from nitro cold brew and lemonade to mocktails and other specialty drinks.
“If you can keg it, we can serve it,” he said.
The taps are hidden inside the truck’s original compartments, preserving the vintage appearance from the outside.
“The whole purpose of this was for you to walk up to it and never think that it’s a tap truck,” Carlos said.
Each beverage requires a different serving pressure, allowing the truck to offer a variety of drinks from the same system.
“Having that ability to control your drinks separately is what kind of makes this truck unique,” he said.
The project has required hundreds of hours of work, often after long shifts as a firefighter.
“Usually late nights…sometimes up to 12 in the morning,” Carlos said. “I’ve been a firefighter for 10 years—that’s my primary full-time job.”
For Carlos, the truck is about more than starting a business. He hopes it becomes something the community can enjoy while inspiring others to pursue their dreams.
“It was kind of one of those gut feelings—going for it,” he said. “I hope to inspire the younger generations to actually do something that they put their mind to.”
Carlos hopes to have the tap truck ready for community events across Yuma in the coming months.