Hub Fire Engines

Hub Fire Engines & Equipment Ltd. is a Canadian fire apparatus builder located in Abbotsford, British Columbia. It is currently Canada's oldest fire truck manufacturer.

History
Hub was formed in 1958 as a partnership with Roney, an apparatus builder in Portland, Oregon. Initially called Roney's of Abbotsford, Hub founder Henry Whitehouse ended up purchasing the assets of the American operation when it declared bankruptcy in 1959. The company was renamed Hub, as Abbotsford is considered the "hub" of British Columbia's Fraser Valley, and mainly built trucks for small fire departments in British Columbia. They also built several pumpers for Vancouver and a few Grove-equipped aerial trucks.

In 1973, the Whitehouse family sold the company to partners Earl Smith and Richard Mannering. The operation moved into a new facility in 1977. By the 80s, sales had expanded beyond British Columbia to other parts of Canada. A sales office was opened in Cambridge, Ontario in 1988 and plans were made for a second manufacturing plant to serve eastern Canada, but the sales office closed and the plant was never built.

Hub partnered with Simon in 1986 and built a few trucks using Simon platforms. The company also served as the Canadian dealer for E-One from 1988 until 1991, ending only with E-One's purchase of Superior.

Hub was sold to its current owners in 1995. In 1997, the company began a partnership with Freightliner / American Lafrance, building trucks and bodies for that company. For several years, American Lafrance trucks sold in Canada were delivered with Hub serial numbers and a small ''Body by Hub" plate on the pump panel. The partnership ended in the late 2000s.  Hub continues to boast a healthy order book.

Production
Hub has built over 1000 pumpers, tankers, rescues, brush trucks and aerials since 1959. Deliveries have been made across the country, with some trucks built for American fire departments and Canadian-owned mines in Peru and Chile.