General Safety Equipment Corporation was an American fire apparatus manufacturer located in North Branch, Minnesota. It is now the General Safety Division of Rosenbauer America.
History
Minnesota Fire Equipement Company 1930s-1956
General Safety was formed in Lindstrom, Minnesota in the late 1920s when blacksmith Elmer Abrahamson built a truck for his hometown fire department. He formed a company called Minnesota Fire Equipment Company and delivered trucks to a number of departments in his immediate area. in 1939, the remaining fire apparatus business assets of the W.S. Nott Company were transferred to the Minnesota Fire Equipment Company. The company moved its manufacturing facilities to North Branch in the late 1940s and changed its name to General Safety Equipment Company in 1956.
General Safety Equipment 1956-1995
Growth continued through the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s, as the company built trucks on commercial chassis for fire departments in Minnesota and surrounding states. In the 1970s, the company introduced custom chassis with the International CO-8190 cab and Seagrave chassis and they also added 55', 65' and 75' TeleSqurt made by Snorkel.
Production was moved to a new plant in Wyoming in 1992. In 1995, General entered into a partnership with Rosenbauer and now builds trucks under the Rosenbauer name for fire departments in the US and Canada.
Products
General Safety builds pumpers, tanker, aerials and rescues on commercial and custom chassis.