Highland man fighting to keep fire trucks on family farm

7 Photos, 1 Video

Standing in one of Scott Shearer’s barns next to one of his antique fire trucks, a visitor might be forgiven for thinking they’ve stepped back in time, to an era when the firefighter manning an engine as it sped toward a blaze would sit perched atop a leather seat uncovered from the elements, manually sounding the siren with a heavy metal hand crank.

Shearer, 44, a heavy truck mechanic by trade who owns Hi-Land Farm, in Highland, has a passion for old fire trucks, which he rescues from scrap sales and methodically restores to their former glory.

He has a dozen trucks, including his favorite, an all-white 1954 engine he calls the White Elephant, which he acquired after outbidding a junkyard buyer at a Pennsylvania auction.

Problem is, his farm isn’t zoned for the hobby, according to Howard County’s Department of Planning and Zoning. < Read more >

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