Not be confused with Westates Fire Apparatus from California.
Western States Fire Apparatus was an American fire apparatus manufacturer located in Cornelius, Oregon.
History[]
Western States was originally founded as a vehicle repair shop by Gloyd Hall Senior before World War II as Hall's Garage around 1942. The first apparatus, built for Gaston Rural Fire District (Oregon), featured a wooden body as metal was reserved for the war effort. The Hall family purchased the assets of the Neep Company in late 1955, leading to apparartus produced through November 1955, serial #101, being built for and badged as Neep Fire Apparatus. The Neep serial numbers continued at that point, but apparatus brand changed to "Western States". Sometime during this time period, Gloyd "Ernie" Hall Junior assumed control of the company when his father retired.
Western States became the northwest dealer for Seagrave Fire Apparatus in mid-1957. In 1963, FWD bought Seagrave, and Western States began building more apparatus on FWD 4x4 chassis, as well as standard Seagrave chassis.
Western States was the best known user of the Intra-Cab pump, developed by Barton-American. Western States offered the Intra-Cab pump beginning in 1968.
In late 1981, Western States ended its relationship with Seagrave, and became the northwest dealer for Spartan.
After Ernie Hall's fatal heart attack in August, 1989, the company went through a long period of management changes. Two key employees left the company during this period, and formed "H&W" fire apparatus in nearby Hillsboro, Oregon, which took away much of the regional market share previously held by Western States due to better marketing as well as the knowledge and experience of the two owners.
The last known apparatus built by Western States was built in 2003 on an HME chassis with an Intra-Cab pump, delivered to Arlington Rural Fire & Rescue (Washington), serial number #1217. An additional apparatus may have been built after #1217, delivered to Salkum Fire Department.
Commonly Used Chassis[]
Western States never built a custom chassis itself, instead opting to build its apparatus on commercially produced chassis, or custom apparatus chassis offered by other manufacturers. Ford and International were commonly chosen by many departments due to their wider availability from dealerships local to the departments.
Commercial Chassis[]
- Ford: 471 (59 C-Series; 207 F-Series; 186 L-Series; 19 Unknown)
- FWD: 35
- GMC: 20
- International: 42
- Kenworth: 25
Custom Chassis[]
Unique Apparatus[]
| Date | Make/Model | Pump/Tank | Serial Number | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Ford | 400/500 | ? | Gaston Rural Fire District (Oregon) | First apparatus built under the 'Neep' name, possibily built on a used chassis. |
| 1951 | FWD | 500/500 | ? | Douglas County Fire District No. 2 (Washington) | First apparatus built on a FWD chassis. |
| Apr. 30, 1968 | FWD | 750/1000 | 416 | Highland Fire Department (Washington) | First Intra-Cab apparatus. |
| 1968 | Diamond Reo | 750/1000 | ? | Tulalip Bay Fire Department | Only apparatus built on a Diamond Reo chassis. |
| 1968 | Seagrave | -/-/85' Hi-Ranger | ? | Yakima Fire Department | First apparatus built on a Seagrave chassis. Also the first and only platform truck Western States built did bodywork for. |
| Aug. 31, 1981 | Spartan | 1250/1000 | 947 | Portland Fire and Rescue (Oregon) | First apparatus built on a Spartan chassis. |
| Dec. 7, 1981 | Seagrave | 1250/1000 | 930 | Tri-City Fire District | Last (new) apparatus built on a Seagrave chassis. |
| Aug. 22, 1984 | 1973 Seagrave | 1250/1000 | 1007 | Forest Grove Fire & Rescue (Oregon) | Last apparatus built on a (used) Seagrave chassis. |
| 1986 | 1980 Mack Cruisliner | 1250/1450 | 1047 | King County Fire District 46 | Only apparatus built on a Mack chassis. |
| May 1989 | Autocar | 1500/1000/30F | 1095 1096 |
Lebanon Fire District (Oregon) | Only 2 apparatus built on an Autocar chassis'. |
| 1989 | Duplex | 1500/750/25F | 1101 | Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue | Only apparatus built on a Duplex chassis. |
| Dec. 25, 1995 | Peterbilt | 750/2500 | 1197 | Skagit County Fire District 12 | Only apparatus built on a Peterbilt chassis. |
| Nov. 25, 1998 | American LaFrance | 1750/1000 | 1211 | Sunnyside Fire Department (Washington) | Only apparatus built on an American LaFrance chassis. |
Notable Users[]
- Gig Harbor Fire & Rescue: 20 Apparatus
- Portland Fire and Rescue: 18 Apparatus
- Marion County Fire District 1: 18 Apparatus
- Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue: 14 Apparatus