Today, we're taking a look at American LaFrance (ALF), a manufacturer of Fire Fighting equipment, as well as other items, that managed to last for well over a century, but is sadly defunct.
An American LaFrance at a local truck show.
ALF's history begins in 1873 in Elmira, NY. Truxton Slocum LaFrance (cool name), along with partners, founded LaFrance Manufacturing Company. This iteration of the company offered various types of hand powered equipment.
A successor company, International Fire Engine Company, would offer various types of fire fighting equipment, including steam powered pumps from 1903 to 1907, as well as horse drawn steamers, hose wagons, hook & ladders, chemical engines, and water towers.
Also during this time, in 1903, the ALF Fire Engine Company would be formed, and would deliver their first motorized fire engine in 1907. They would also build a few automobiles from 1910 to 1920.
In 1927 ALF acquired O.J. Childs, who created Foamite, a liquid chemical formulated to extinguish fires in weather conditions ranging from -15F to 110F.
20 years later, in 1947, ALF would introduce the 700-Series, a cab-forward chassis design that would prove to be the industry standard from then on.
A few decades later, in 1985, the operations at their Elmira, NY facility were suspended, and the plant closed.
After a considerable downsizing, ALF would continue operations in Bluefield, VA from 1986 to 1994.
In 1995 Freightliner purchased the company and began manufacturing in various other facilities - Ephrata, PA, Sanford, FL, and Hamburg, NY.
ALF would be successful under FL's ownership, becoming the fifth largest emergency vehicle manufacturer in the U.S. by 2005.
In December of 2005, ownership would be transferred to NY based Patriarch Partners, though by this time ALF's main headquarters and manufacturing were in Ladson, SC, but curiously, these facilities were not included in the transfer.
In 2007 operations would move to Charleston, SC. However, ALF would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy shortly after, on January 28, 2008. After a corporate reorganization, ALF emerged from bankruptcy on July 25, 2008, with a revamped business model.
It apparently wasn't revamped enough, as the following year, 2009, the Hamburg, NY and Ephrata, PA plants would close, and operations were consolidated at the Summerville, SC facility.
This facility would stagger on a few more years, but on January 17, 2014, the company announced they would be closing down.
Parts and partially completed trucks were auctioned off to pay creditors - a sad end for such a venerable company.
However, there's a bit of a silver lining - the North Charleston Fire Museum and Educational Center has preserved 20 operational ALF units - https://northcharlestonfiremuseum.org/
That's all for this rather brief and convoluted history - thanks for looking!
Happy to know someone cared enough to save those