Under new ownership ALF relocated within the Charleston, South Carolina metro area in summer 2007 to a brand new facility including manufacturing and corporate HQ, with close to 500,000 sq ft (50,000 m²) of total space. However, Patriarch Partners were allowed to use the plant until early 2007, when DaimlerChrysler began using the plant for assembly of the Dodge Sprinter.
The headquarters and main plant in Ladson, South Carolina were not included in the transaction. 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. As of 2005, they are the fifth largest manufacturer of emergency vehicles in North America. ALF has additional manufacturing facilities in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, Sanford, Florida, and Hamburg, New York. Many of their Liberty products are built on Freightliner LLC M2 or Sterling Acterra chassis. Freightliner continued to utilize American LaFrance's original nameplates and designations including the Eagle custom chassis. In 1995, the company was bought by Freightliner LLC, which is a subsidiary of Daimler AG. The company has recently undergone a major rebirth and is once again turning out distinct custom fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. Some of the company's innovations led to changes in the industry, most notably the cab forward style cab. The classical style of the American LaFrance apparatus is easily recognized. Over the years, American LaFrance built thousands of fire trucks including chemical engines, combination pumpers, aerial ladder trucks, Aero Chief snorkel trucks, and even airport crash trucks. ALF delivered its first motorized fire engine in 1907. It also operated a plant in Toronto, Canada, where it sold apparatus under the name Lafrance-Foamite, until 1971. Its corporate offices and manufacturing plant were located in Elmira, New York. The American LaFrance Fire Engine Company was officially formed in 1903. Apparatus built by International included everything from horse drawn steamers, hose wagons, and hook & ladders to chemical engines, water towers and combinations. The International Fire Engine Company, corporate predecessor of American LaFrance, built some steam power fire engines between 1903-1907. Founded in 1873 by Truckson LaFrance and his partners as the LaFrance Manufacturing Company selling hand powered equipment. 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.
We request that we be given credit (or blame).One of the oldest and most famous fire apparatus manufacturers in America is the American LaFrance Fire Engine Company. The photographers were John and Val Alexander, who give permission for the photos and video to be used or re-posted by anyone. I hope I have given the data he shared correctly. Thanks to the Henry County historian for some of the information about the old fire engine. This video shows the antique engine being driven by the county historian - lucky guy - and unloaded under its own power. If you display each photo individually, you must use the back arrow on your browser to return to this page. Although it is very difficult to see clearly since it is severely faded, the words Paris Fire Department still appear on the hood of the truck (slide #23 and slide #27). Since each photograph in the slide show will appear for about 8 seconds, if you wish to examine the fire engine longer and in more detail, you may use the links at the left. This slide show will display a few photos of the fire engine's arrival at the Paris fire station near the hospital show the truck and some of the people welcoming it.
#1927 american lafrance fire truck driver#
The driver appears in some of the photographs in an orange tee-shirt. He said that another person even offered to buy the antique fire engine at whatever price he named. The young man who drove the hauler that brought the engine across the country, reported that it had many admirers at every stop and that one person followed him for many miles to see it close-up at a rest stop.
Several people were sufficiently enthusiastic about the old fire truck to show up and welcome it on a chilly morning. This historic truck, which was sold by the city in 1955, but remained in the city for several years, was recently located in Portland, Oregon, and the owners were happy to have it come back to its former home. The American-La France fire engine, which was purchased new by the Paris fire department, has returned to its original home in Paris, thanks to the current fire department, the Henry County Historical Society, and interested citizens.
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