Fire Trucks

A fascinating pictorial journey through the history of firefighting and fire apparatus, from horse-drawn, steam-powered engines to today's most sophisticated fire-safety systems.

This book is an illustrated, historical look at aerialsfire trucks that elevate water and firefighters via hydraulic platforms and ladders at a fire scene. Inside is a comprehensive look at all manufacturers of aerials, including American LaFrance, Pierce, Emergency One, LTI, Grumman, FMC, Seagrave, Mack, Pirsch, Snorkel, Hahn, Maxim, KME, Sutphen, Smeal, Aerial Innovations, Baker, Grove, Hi-Ranger, Cavalar, and Simon. Chapters focus on the different types of aerials, including rear-mounts, mid-mounts, tractor-drawn (tillers), towers, articulating booms, and others. Text and captions give the reader a brief overview of early aerials, then concentrates on the trucks in use today.

Long before there were aerial ladder trucks, there were city service hook and ladder trucks. For many years, long-wheelbase, straight-frame city service hook and ladder trucks were standard offerings in the product catalogs of most fire apparatus manufacturers. The last straight service ladder trucks were built in the mid-1950s.The pump-equipped quad rolled on into the 1960s, before it too was eclipsed by the quintuple combination, or "quint." This book is a photographic tribute to these fondly-remembered hook and ladder trucks and quads built during the golden age of American motor fire apparatus.

Fire apparatus aficionados Walt McCall and Matt Lee, have assembled these beautiful photographs to illustrate the wide range of body designs used on the classic Seagrave chassis. See all kinds of Classic Seagraves, ranging from wide-open doorless cab models with sporty one-piece fold-down windshields, to radically streamlined completely enclosed Safety Sedan bodies. This design was utilized for virtually every type of fire apparatus - pumping engines, aerial ladder trucks of both the straight frame and articulated tractor trailer type, city service ladder trucks, quadruple and quintuple combinations, and special units like rescue squad trucks and hose trucks. The classic Seagrave is timeless. Its distinctive waterfall grille is widely regarded as a high mark in the 20th Century American fire engine builder's unique art. If you're a fire apparatus enthusiast, you'll want to add this book to your collection.

Cherry-pickers were a good way for firemen to get to places that traditional aerial ladders weren't able to reach. This led to the revolutionary elevating platform, or "Snorkel", as they were referred to by many firemen. They have served many departments large and small across North America over the last 45 years. At the height of their popularity they were seen on the front covers of newspapers across the country bringing major fires under control and rescuing people. Elevating platforms, with their articulating booms and large area platforms, offer firemen the flexibility to be positioned in places that would otherwise be impossible to reach. They can deliver a 1000 gallons of water per minute through a master stream to the seat of the fire or quickly rescue victims from upper floors. A concise history of each company that built elevated platorms is provided along with a photographic timeline of the various rigs they were built on. This book features such companies as the Pitman Snorkel, American Lafrance Aero-Chief, Hi-Ranger, Calavar, and Bronto Skylifts. It also covers a few remaining companies that each built only a small number of elevating platforms. This book documents their beginnings in 1958 up to the impressive articulating platforms of today.

A complete encyclopedia of every Canadian Fire Apparatus Company of the 20th century. Each company is listed alphabetically and its apparatus is documented in text and high quality photographs. There have been over 20,000 pieces of fire apparatus built in Canada, and every manufacturer is documented here. Includes Allain, Almonte, Amertek, Anderson, Bickle and Bickle Seagrave, Carl Thibault, Ft. Garry, Hub, King and King Seagrave, LaFleur, LaFrance, Marsh, Maxi Metal, Metalfab, Phoenix, Pierreville, Superior, Thibault, Tibotrac, Waltek and more. An essential reference tool for every fire apparatus buff and historian.

Joachim Reher Hardcover 136 pages Out of Print. New old stock.

Fire Engines features 300 photos of American fire engines from turn-of-the-century horseless carriages to the modern American-LaFrance, Seagrave, and Mack models.A nostalgic scrapbook of archival and contemporary photos that highlights the evolution of the motorized fire engine.

A detailed, compelling record of the development of firefighting equipment from its most primitive to its most sophisticated is complemented by hundreds of vivid photographs, many in full color.

John Creighton Softcover 128 pages Out of Print. New old stock.

Code 3 coverage puts you on-scene as these amazing apparatus maneuver rescuers to extraordinary heights! Grab a hand-line and discover the popular makes and models in operation, as long-time fire buff Larry Shapiro outlines the roots of the hook and ladder and discusses when and how they are used in today's loftiest disasters. Outstanding all-color images and lively text guide you through the hero-making world of Hook and Ladders.