Ward LaFrance Truck Corp. was a fire apparatus builder located in Elmira Heights, New York.
History[]
Addison Ward LaFrance (1884-1972) was a son of Asa LaFrance and nephew of Truckson LaFrance, founders of American LaFrance. He started working for the family business in the early 1900s, until he and a partner formed an auto sales agency in 1905. In 1918, LaFrance entered the truck manufacturing business. LaFrance trucks were assembled using components purchased from independent suppliers and LaFrance-built cabs and bodies. The name was changed to Ward LaFrance Truck Co. shortly after.
In 1930, despite the presence of nearby American LaFrance, WLF entered the fire apparatus market. Fire trucks became a large part of the company's business, and in 1937, Ward LaFrance secured an order from FDNY. Trucks were built on custom Ward LaFrance apparatus. During the Second World War, WLF built wreckers, bridge-layers and military fire trucks for the US military. Ward LaFrance sold to the company to Great American Industries in 1942.
As with many companies, the postwar years saw a boom in fire apparatus production. The company built its first aerial truck tractor for the Buffalo Fire Department in 1951. Its first aerial truck was built in 1955 using a 65-foot ladder purchased from Maxim Motor Company, and its conventional fire chassis were restyled in 1957. In 1959, the Firebrand cabover chassis was introduced. And in 1962, the Mark I, later renamed the Ambassador, was introduced. This became the "look" of WLF for the next several years. Aerial ladder assemblies were purchased from Grove and Pierre Thibault, and platform trucks from Hi-Ranger.
Owned by Talcott National since 1965, WLF was sold to a partnership that also owned Maxim in 1976. Operations between the two companies were merged, but production in Elmira Heights stopped in 1979 and WLF was no more.
See Also[]
Departments operating Ward LaFrance apparatus
Sources[]
- McCall, Walter M.P. Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Fire Engine Manufacturers. Hudson, WI: Iconografix, 2009. ISBN 9781583882528