The Zamboni

Well, I get to scratch another one off of my list. As I had noted on “The Tiller” section of BuffaloHeadFire.Com, I have had the opportunity to drive some very cool vehicles throughout my career and I had three left on my list that I wanted to try out. Thanks to a friend that works for the Highway Department, I got to take a line painting truck for a spin (just look for the crooked white line on the shoulder of a highway in Southwest Colorado). Thanks to Farmington Assistant Fire Marshal Dave Doudy, I was presented the opportunity of a lifetime when he let me tiller his Seagrave Tractor Drawn Ladder Truck.

What was that third vehicle? The Zamboni! In the early 1940s, Frank Zamboni had an idea. Now, more than 50 years later, his name is synonymous with the machine he invented. In fact, ice resurfacers like the one he developed for his own rink in Southern California have had a tremendous impact on skating and ice sports throughout the world. Frank Zamboni's belief in ongoing product improvement and innovation lives on today in the company he founded. To learn more about the history of the Zamboni Company and Frank's lasting legacy, visit www.zamboni.com

I was in the office one day when I got a call from my friend retired Farmington Fire Department Lieutenant George Brenton. George has been playing Hockey, along with his lovely wife Melynda, at the Chapman Hill Ice Skating Rink in Durango. George had told the rink manager that he had a friend who had always wanted to drive a Zamboni. It pays to have friends in high places, because a few days later that dream had become a reality.

I owe a debt of gratitude to George and Melynda for thinking of me, and to the Rink Manager for the abbreviated training session on the machine and not judging the idea as a crazy one. The photos were taken and provided by Melynda Brenton.