The wail of sirens filled the air June 20 during the 24th annual Fire Truck Parade and Muster in Littleton.

Hundreds of spectators lined Littleton Boulevard and Main Street to watch and cheer as about 60 pieces of equipment representing almost 100 years of firefighting made their way to the Arapahoe Community College parking lot for the muster.

Fire trucks on display at the muster included examples of almost a century of the evolution of equipment crews use to battle blazes.

There were the up-to-date rigs with their high-tech, computer-controlled equipment as well as less-sophisticated equipment from the 1950s and even Littleton's antique truck that was purchased by the city's volunteers in 1914.

Mark Gorman, a Littleton firefighter who volunteers to help keep the truck operating and accompanies it to events like the muster, said the truck has been with the city since it was delivered more than 90 years ago.

Groman, who has been with LFR for 30 years, is the man responsible for restoring “The Federal” as he casually calls it, in 2003.

Littleton’s antique Federal Chemical Truck has solid rubber tires. There’s no windshield. It has a dual chain like a bicycle and a crank start to start the motor and today, it is most often spotted parading down Main Street during the annual Fire Muster and Western Welcome Week.

For more than 150 years, firefighters across the U.S. have "mustered," or gathered to show off their firefighting equipment, preserve fire service history and promote fire safety. In celebration of this grand American tradition, antique fire truck collectors and active fire departments along the Front Range participated June 20 in downtown Littleton.