I own this set... though I didn't purchased it. Built it only with parts I already owned!

I always found that set cute. Same with 6612, which I also own (this one I purchased).

Looks like Huwbot’s brief Marvel-but-not-Marvel phase is over.

Love the minifigure though!

@rab1234: Oh, my bad; I was seeing 'an edge' on the torso like that of a sticker...Nevertheless, still miss the coloring on the uniforms and such...maybe a thinner line to modernize it...

Wow. I remember getting this set as stocking stuffer, to go with set 6382 that Christmas. I threw out the box for this set because it wouldn’t fit in the box of 6383. :(

That fire “logo” was really nice. I like the simple but effective design work on older sets.

@brick_r Completely agree. Lego's older firemen were far superior to the silly ones they have now. As you correctly point out, those ridiculous new futuristic helmets don't exist in real life and I'm still not sure what the problem was with the classic helmet?
I thought it was an excellent design because it was a cross between a traditional vintage firemen helmet and the classic American fireman's helmet so it works great whether in an historical situation or contemporary one (particularly when combined with the breathing apparatus pieces).
I wish we had gotten more of the torsos of the firefighters in Winter Village Fire Station, although something along the lines of the fireman in this set would be really good.

Woah hey, save it for the vintage RSotD on Saturday!

This set is a lot more appealing when compared with its predecessor 602 even if only for the reason that the figure can sit in it. Which makes me wonder why a police version was never cleared for production.

Nostalgia all the way. This defines 1980s Classic Town for me.

Back then only fire chiefs had white helmets.

And it even had alternative models: http://belay.peeron.com/scans/6611-1/1/

That fire logo slope piece is exclusive to this set, amazingly. I found it among our old Lego earlier this year and spent a little time trying to find which set it came from. I think I found the rest of the pieces too (the dark blue trans 1x1 pieces were hard to track down among the tubs).

Do Fire Chiefs have publicly funded vehicles for their own use, I mean there is not much he can do until the fire engine arrives anyway?

It has HOG* drive!
*Hand of God

Cute set. Tiny, but no doubt affordable.

@WizardOfOss: One of these things is not like the others...

This one actually made me do a bricklist comparing similar sets, out of the necessity to cope with its mere existence. Not everything back then was better! As the spiritual successor is 60247 , not everything is good today, either.

This type of set was perfect - imagination kicks in to have the minifig and his 'cart' solving all sorts of problems in my town which then looked like some sort of apocalypse anyway! The sets could be bought for about 70p at the toy shop down the road from my parents house (still there) despite my dad saying every time I came home with more small sets '' haven't you got enough already...?'' Clearly something went wrong there...

I've got this set still from 1981... wow I'm old. :)

One of my first sets. Played with so much his head is loose, his face is gone, his buttons have all but disappeared, and his hips are so weak the only safe place for him is on his red mobility scooter.

For young builders. Impulse/allowance money buy. As someone pointed out earlier, a stocking stuffer.

Later on, as child becomes more skilled, the bigger fire-related sets come. Or maybe those larger sets — like whatever fire station was on sale at the time — are for Christmas.

@Brickchap
https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrEpCYxgJhjb_ANFz9x.9w4?p=firefighter+helmet&fr=yfp-hrmob&fr2=piv-web&.tsrc=yfp-hrmob

I’m seeing a few that look a lot closer to the new helmet than the classic one. One major development that seems to be happening is a shift from the rigid plate that extends off the back of the helmet (and could potentially snag on stuff, ripping the helmet loose, or injuring the firefighter) is being replaced by a soft flap that serves a similar purpose of keeping stuff from getting down into the back of the collar. Day-glow coloring is probably intended to make it easier to find incapacitated firefighters. Full face shields are also being added. Sometimes change happens. In the US, there has been a huge pushback against changing fire engines from the stereotypical primary red just because it’s ingrained tradition (to the point that an engine painted any other color doesn’t always register in other drivers’ conscious thought). The uniforms are less of an issue in a public setting, so whatever keeps them safer in an inferno is the way to go.

@ambr:
In the US, absolutely the fire chief would have a civilian-style vehicle. The actual firefighters can’t leave the station when they’re on duty, in case there’s a fire. A Fire Chief might need to visit multiple stations, the investigation of a recent fire, or respond to a fire from home. They may need to stay on-site longer than the firefighters, so catching a ride back to the station could be problematic.

@TheOtherMike said:
" @WizardOfOss : One of these things is not like the others..."
For fire on land and for fire on sea. If there's a fire in the air they'll just have to come down first....or let gravity do its job.

(I do actually also have a fire helicopter, but that was a rather late addition to my collection as a kid...by that time I only cared about Technic)

@Brickchap said:
" @brick_r Completely agree. Lego's older firemen were far superior to the silly ones they have now. As you correctly point out, those ridiculous new futuristic helmets don't exist in real life and I'm still not sure what the problem was with the classic helmet?."

Those ‘ridiculous new futuristic helmets’ have existed for years in Europe. They’re much more comfortable to wear and have a built in visor. French firefighters have had chrome versions (Gallet F1) since the 1990s. Firefighters in the UK started using them in around 2010.

I had this as a kid and LOVED it
It was a great design that I could mass produce in my LEGO Town (without the printed slope)
Also had 6609 which went well with it.

@VintageDude said:
" @cm5878 said:
"This set is a lot more appealing when compared with its predecessor 602 even if only for the reason that the figure can sit in it. Which makes me wonder why a police version was never cleared for production. "

The police version, in which a figure can sit in, came in 1978 (three years earlier than RSoTD):
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=621-1T=I

And the Fire Fighter also had a car to sit in, in 1978:
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=640-2T=I"

Granted. In fact I've just had a look at the 15 Town Sets released in 1981 and for the first time ever, become aware of 6600 and 6602, which seem strange things to re-issue at a time when things were moving away from that design of car. Perhaps intended to occupy an even lower price point than 6611 at certain retailers?

He's radioing because he thinks this must be some mistake, and deserves a better car.

@Norikins:
That’s like a starving man saying he deserves better food when all he has is a bowl of plastic fruit.

@WizardOfOss: The boat's the odd one out not just because it's the only water vehicle, but because of its size.

@TheOtherMike said:
" @WizardOfOss: The boat's the odd one out not just because it's the only water vehicle, but because of its size."

Yeah, that was easily my biggest set back then.....with an incredible 150 pieces!