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This page began as the result of a discussion between several people with a keen interest in 700 & 800 Series American LaFrance fire apparatus. We hope to over time expand this site to include information on as wide a range of American LaFrance information as possible. The intent is to share the information that has been acquired by a variety of individuals in order to help others in their efforts to preserve the history of American LaFrance and the apparatus that it built throughout the history of the company.
This site includes a Forum, Photo Gallery and some informational pages on the ALF V12 Engine among other subjects. There is also a searchable data base of 700, 800, 900 & 1000 Series apparatus. We are constantly looking to update this data base with information on the apparatus and in particular the current status of any apparatus if know. The data base will also include as many photos as possible of the apparatus listed including factory photos, in-service photos and recent photos when possible.
We also hope to expand the mechanical information area to include as many of the motors that were used as we can gather information on. This will include parts information when possible to aid in maintaining apparatus in operating condition.
At this time much of the information here is available to be viewed by anyone. Some information and areas, such as the forums area, will require you to register with the site.
This site will always be under development and more information will be added as it becomes available. So stay tuned for more! If you have any information pertaining to a particular piece of ALF apparatus, or have other information that you feel would be valuable to have included on the site, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Brief History of American LaFrance
The following provided by Wikipedia
The American LaFrance Fire Engine Company was one of the oldest fire apparatus manufacturers in America. With roots that go back to approximately 1832, the companies that went on to become American LaFrance built hand-drawn, horse-drawn, and steam-powered fire engines. Founded in 1873 by Truckson LaFrance and his partners as the LaFrance Manufacturing Company selling hand powered equipment. The International Fire Engine Company, corporate predecessor of American LaFrance, built some steam power fire engines between 1903-1907. Apparatus built by International included horse drawn steamers, hose wagons, and hook & ladders to chemical engines, water towers and combinations. The American LaFrance Fire Engine Company was formed in 1903. Its corporate offices and manufacturing plant were in Elmira, New York. It also operated a Canadian plant in Toronto, Ontario, where it sold apparatus under the name Lafrance-Foamite, until 1971. ALF delivered its first motorized fire engine in 1907. Over the years, American LaFrance built thousands of fire trucks including chemical engines, combination pumpers, aerial ladder trucks, Aero Chief snorkel trucks, and airport crash trucks. The classical style of the American LaFrance apparatus is easily recognized. Some of the company's innovations led to changes in the industry, most notably the cab forward style cab. The company has recently undergone a major rebirth and is once again producing custom fire trucks and other emergency vehicles.
In 1995, the company was bought by Freightliner LLC, which is a subsidiary of Daimler AG. Freightliner continued to utilize American LaFrance's original nameplates and designations including the Eagle custom chassis. Many of their Liberty products are built on Freightliner LLC M2 or Sterling Acterra chassis. ALF has additional manufacturing facilities in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, Sanford, Florida, and Hamburg, New York. As of 2005, they are the fifth largest manufacturer of emergency vehicles in North America.
In December 2005, it was announced that Freightliner had transferred the ownership of American LaFrance to the New York-based investment firm, Patriarch Partners, LLC. The headquarters and main plant in Ladson, South Carolina were not included in the transaction. However, Patriarch Partners were allowed to use the plant until early 2007, when DaimlerChrysler began using the plant for assembly of the Dodge Sprinter. Under new ownership ALF relocated within the Charleston, South Carolina, area in summer 2007 to a brand new facility, including manufacturing and corporate HQ, with nearly 500,000 sq ft of total space.
On January 28, 2008, American LaFrance filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection blaming problems with implementation of a new IBM enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. On July 25, 2008, the company emerged from bankruptcy with a revised business plan to transfer the firetruck body building portion of the business to the remaining Hamburg, NY, (formerly RDMurray Inc.) and Ephrata, PA, (formerly Ladder Towers Inc.) facilities. The Summerville, SC plant continued to manufacture fire truck cab and chassis, but focused on vocational vehicles and the Condor vehicle line. On January 17, 2014, the company announced it was ceasing operations.