Gallery – LEGO fire trucks help Lloydminster man through brain surgery, pandemic

What started as a school project more than a decade ago has turned into a highly detailed craft for Lloydminster resident Joey Cole.

Cole builds custom LEGO fire trucks, carefully recreating real-life emergency apparatus down to the smallest details. What began as a creative outlet has grown into a niche skill set that connects firefighting culture, engineering, and personal resilience.

The foundation was laid in 2011 or 2012 during a school assignment.

“I had to build some sort of building in any medium,” Cole said. “I had a lot of LEGO, so I built a fire station modeled after Lloydminster Fire Rescue Station 2.”

Once the station was finished, the next step felt obvious.

“I needed trucks to go in it.”

Discovering a global LEGO fire community

Cole turned to YouTube for inspiration and quickly realized he wasn’t alone.

“I searched ‘LEGO fire trucks’ and found hundreds of videos,” he said. “Everything from command vehicles and ambulances to ladder trucks and tillers.”

That search introduced him to what builders call the LEGO Fire Community, a global network of hobbyists and professional builders focused entirely on fire apparatus.

“My mind just started racing,” Cole said. “There are people who do this for a living, and others like me who do it as a passion.”

His first serious build was ambitious.

“The first model I attempted was a Seagrave Marauder II 95-foot Aerialscope,” he said. “Almost everyone in the community had one. One guy even had a whole fleet.”

From hobby to custom builds

For years, Cole built solely for himself. That changed when a builder he admired suddenly disappeared from the community.

“He had sold a few trucks to me and was making decent money,” Cole said. “I realized there was a gap.”

While custom orders followed, Cole said money was never the primary motivator.

“I’m in it for the exploration,” he said. “Getting to build what younger or less experienced builders only dream of. That makes me proud of how far I’ve come.”

Cole is quick to credit others.

“These trucks aren’t just mine,” he said. “They’re a combination of years of experience, other builders helping me, and a lot of trial and error.”

Accuracy down to the smallest detail

When someone commissions a truck, Cole asks for reference photos and any requested modifications.

“That could be something like a Q-Siren on the bumper or changing a cabinet layout,” he said. “Every department is a little different.”

Accuracy matters. A lot.

“I’ll look at blueprints on manufacturers’ websites or use Fire Wiki,” Cole said. “When I built Lloydminster Fire Rescue’s Pumper 21, I used MaxiMetal’s website to get it right.”

He estimates thousands of hours have gone into research alone.

“That’s where a lot of my expertise comes from.”

Some LEGO builds push the limits.

“The most complex builds are tillers,” Cole said. “I’ve built three, and I’m still not where I want to be.”

Next on his list is a local challenge.

“I’m planning to build Lloydminster’s Rosenbauer Commander T-Rex,” he said. “That’s going to be a huge task.”

A craft that connects and heals

Depending on complexity and work schedule, a custom build can take two to three weeks, sometimes longer for ladder trucks.

The payoff comes when people see the finished product.

“I’ve seen people’s eyes light up,” Cole said. “I built a Rosenbauer Commander Cobra platform for Rocky Mountain Phoenix, and when the technicians saw it, they were amazed.”

Sometimes the reaction surprises even him.

“I’ll sit back and say, ‘Holy cow, I just built that.’”

While the pandemic gave Cole more time to refine his craft, it also coincided with serious personal challenges.

Just before COVID, Cole suffered a seizure after returning from work in Peace River and was diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, a rare condition that restricts blood flow to the brain.

He has since experienced strokes, seizures, and brain surgery.

“This hobby filled a void,” Cole said. “I always wanted to be a firefighter. Building these trucks brought that into my life at home.”

LEGO also helped him navigate the pandemic, health struggles, and his parents’ divorce.

“After my first brain surgery, the first thing I did when I got home was design a LEGO fire truck,” he said.

Now, he no longer needs to design them on paper.

“I just build,” Cole said. “Right now, I’m working on a tiller.”

He hopes to eventually share his creations locally.

“I think kids would absolutely love to see them,” he said.

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