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Feature

1 3/4 inch (44mm) Round
Bronze Antique with Enamel

Description

Fire Tillerman IAFF

Among the most experienced and responsible of IAFF members is the fire tillerman, whose singular skill is required for getting a fire department's most essential equipment to the scene quickly and safely, and this engravable coin makes the perfect gift for these remarkable fire fighting professionals.

As articulated fire trucks were added to fire departments in cities with higher edifices and tight thoroughfares, fire fighters of immense skill were called upon to help move these vehicles rapidly and safely to fires where longer ladders were needed. Too big to manage with just one steering wheel, the tillerman controls the rear wheel, and working in sync with the driver through distinctive signals and buzzers, the rear axle can turn more crisply and help bring the long articulated truck, its payload, and its crew to the scene as efficiently as possible. Few possess this extraordinary skill, and those who do are vital to the fire fighting effort.

The obverse of this coin focuses in on the extreme focus of a tillerman at his wheel as viewed from the front of the truck. The reverse features the emblem of the International Association of Fire Fighters, whose nearly 300,000 professionals have received the most advanced training possible. Minted in the USA from special deep-relief coining dies; struck from solid bronze; and hand-finished with an antique patina for exceptional quality and detail, the fire tillerman challenge coin pays homage to the tillermen whose unique skills and unquestioned teamwork make it possible for modern fire trucks to reach fires faster and fight them higher and more efficiently.