American LaFrance revisited

 On this day, September 6, 1980 I happened to be passing through Caribou, Maine on my way back to Halifax from Quebec. The Caribou Fire Department had their all American LaFrance fleet out on the apron, and I was lucky enough to get the following photos:

No.1

No.2

No.3

No.4

No.8

pump panel for No.3

Some departments were still running open top "bathtub" cab LaFrances in those days, but Maine's winters likely discouraged that practice. The 'sedan cab" was a rarity by the 1980s. The long hood, with bell mount, covered a straight eight gasoline engine.

No.3

American LaFrance

The sad demise of the American LaFrance company in 2014 meant the end of a long history, but there will still be LaFrances on the roads for many years to come.
Halifax still has number of them on its roster, including a pair of quints, one of which is based at Station 9  in Lower Sackville

Numbered 01-144Q, it carries a 28m LTI aerial, with 833 igpm nozzle, pumps at 1750 igpm, carries 25 igal of foam and has a 416 igal booster tank.
The crew had it out today to exercise the aerial ladder.

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Waterloo Fire Rescue

Over a weekend in Waterloo, ON, I was able to see Waterloo Fire Rescue's 216 Weber Street North station in operation.

At 0700 the incoming shift does their checks on P-1, an impressive 2014 Pierce Impel PUC pumper.

Later in the morning responding to an alarm at University and King.

Responding to a MVA at University and Albert two days before, P-1 has earned its reputation as the busiest rig in Waterloo.

Also based at Weber Street:

  A-1 operates this 2003 Spartan Metro Star / General  / Rosenbauer 104 foot platform 1500/300/30F.

 The Platoon Chief is assigned this Chev Command Unit C-23.

Also responding to the University/King alarm was this (now classic) American LaFrance Eagle, dating from 2001.

The 1250/700/30A engine is now assigned to P-12 and is apparently a spare that was covering for another unit from a nearby station.

[All photos taken from my Samsung Galaxy 3 I-phone]

American LaFrance continued

As some alert readers pointed out I did not cover all of the Halifax Regional Fire + Emergency Services' LaFrances in my last post.

There are three commercial pumper/tankers in the fleet, all dating from 2002. They are built on  Freightliner tandem axle chassis:

02-302T runs out of Station #18 on #7 Highway in Cole Harbour.

02-303T is an identical unit.

02-304T is also the same.

They are equipped with 1750 gpm pump, 1800 gallon tank and 200 gallon foam tank.

The off side, shows some differences in arrangement.

It is hard to find any American LaFrance references on the these units, except for the ULC Panel 

(too bad they couldn't find some stainless steel rivets)

There are lots of Hale Pump and Foam Pro logos on the pump panel, but no other reference to American LaFrance. When these units were built American LaFrance was part of the Freightliner/ Daimler empire.

There is also a fourth American LaFrance unit on the roster. 04-353E is a custom pumper, which was based at Pleasant Street in Dartmouth. It has a 1750 gpm pump, 700 gallon booster tank and 25 gallons foam, but always eluded my camera. It seems to have been reassigned recently.

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American LaFrance - down for the third time, and out.

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American LaFrance from the shoebox

By way of contrast to modern looking fire apparatus here's a dip into the oldies shoebox from the northern Maine community of Caribou.

The classic American LaFrance 'bathtub" is probably the image many of us have in mind as the definitive firetruck. If you will pardon my saying - all fire trucks look alike these days, but certainly a LaFrance was identifiable from miles away!
One nice little department of the 1980s was Caribou, Maine, with an "all LaFrance" lineup. I happened to stumble across it on a day when they were swamping out the floors of the truck bays, and so had four rigs out on the apron. I am showing the Kodachrome slides, full frame:

1. The newest was this pumper with an extended roof canopy, but otherwise open to the weather. Those Maine firemen must have been tough.

2. Number 2 was an older model which seemed to have a back wall on the cab.

3. This monster conventional wore number 3. It probably had a Packard V-12 gasoline engine.

4. Number 4 was the oldest of the bathtub types in the hall.

5. Rounding out the roster on that day, was Number 8, a LaFrance tanker/pumper on a Chev 80 commercial chassis.

6. Old number 3 had the usual pump panel ahead of the firewall.

7. What can I add?

I now regret that I didn't copy any information on the trucks, so I would welcome any more details.

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Dartmouth Fire Department

Pre-amalgamation in 1996, the City of Dartmouth, NS, maintained its own independence on the east side of Halifax harbour. Dartmouth was founded in 1750 (one year after Halifax) and still maintains its identity, as a community within the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), but all services, including fire fighting, are carried out by the HRM.
When it was still an independent city it had a sizable fire department. Here is an album of some of its apparatus from the old shoebox (headings indicate the year the picture was taken)

1978

1. 1977 Ford-Thibault 1050 gpm pumper operated from Station 4 in lower Burnside.

2. This little 1950s International tanker was not typical of Dartmouth's roster. It was probably used as a brush truck.

3. 1976 Ford-Thibualt, rear-mount 100 ft aerial also ran from Station 4.

1979

4. Tower 2 ran this Mack CF, with Baker Aerialscope 100 foot mid-mount platform.It was built by Thibault in 1976

1982

5. No.14 Pumper operated this 1970 Thibault 1250 gpm from the Station 1 on King Street. The ubiquitous Cincinnati Cab was Thibault's custom cab.

6. No.18 Pumper ran a similar 1973 Thibualt 1250 gpm custom cab. Even though it was the first day of spring, both units were fitted with tire chains.

1982

7. Classic 1965 American LaFrance 1250 gpm No.11 seen at Station 2 in Woodside. Tire chains were standard in January.

1987

8. Checking out Number 4 aerial at station 4 - see also 1978 above.

1989

 

9. Dartmouth ran this Dodge rescue for many years. It carried number 24.

1989

  

10. 1981 Ford L9000 Pierreville 840 gpm pumper/ 1000 gal tanker/ 40lb foam carried several numbers, including 3 and 12 during its career. 

11. (undated possibly 1986)

1990

 

12. Thibault built this aerial on a Ford C chassis, and it was assigned to Station 4, replacing another 1976 Thibualt aerial on a Ford C chassis -see photoS above.

1991

13. Late model Ford C-Thibault (ca. 1987)was 1050/600 pumper number 1. Note the handrail around the back of the cab.

1994

14. Tibotrac built this emergency response unit on a Ford Cargo chassis.

15. Chev StepVan served as a mobile command unit.

1995

 

16. Another view of the newer number 4 aerial, see also 1990 above.

17. Metalfab built this pumper No.1 on a Ford Cargo chassis. The crew box has a side door.

BONUS

18. In 1982 this Plymouth Fury station wagon saw duty in a variety of roles. 

19. A sunny day view of No.11 LaFrance, in April 1979, with the chains off.

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