WARD LAFRANCE FIRE BRANDS
NYC Firenet Thread - WLF rigs
3511
Aug 21, 2013
"When the WLF Firebrands went into service in1960 they were nicknamed "The Pagoda" by the firefighters because the cab looked like it had been designed in Chinatown. This was not a popular buy for the men. They felt it a step back in the quality of equipment, as they had with the purchase of the FWD wooden aerials in 1955. They preferred the C Model Mack's that had entered the job beginning in 1958.
G-man is correct in their use as replacements for the older rigs. E42 got one, retiring its 1941 Mack "L", which they had received from the factory and was still going strong after nineteen years of front line service. Some Firebrands replaced older WLF's (E40, up the street from my high school on Amsterdam Ave.) or the last of the 1947 "L"'s (E46, 82) still working in busy areas. After the Firebrands, I don't believe there were any more pre -war pumpers as front line rigs, although some remained as 2d piece hose wagons for a few years.
WLF's were never very popular among the firefighters. The pumpers and hose wagons of the late 1930's were considered to be junk, hard to steer and always breaking down. They were no match for the Mack and Ahrens-Fox models of that era. The post-WWII WLF's were considered "lightweights", less durable than the Mack "L" and "B"models and the American LaFrance cab forwards. In fact, they WERE lighter, with part of the body frame made of wood. Their redeeming feature was the booster tank, the first rigs in the FDNY to have them. No more hooking up and long stretches just to knock down a car, brush, or "EL" fire.
In fact, the 1950's WLF's proved quite durable. E79 had their 1951 model for eighteen years. Although located on the periphery of the Bronx' busy areas, that rig saw a lot of fire duty as 79 went south of Fordham Road and interchanged with E50.
The WLF CD pumper fleet was a lifesaver for the FDNY. Purchased by the federal government in the aftermath of WWII, they were supposed to augment the Department in case air raids like the London Blitz. With the development of jet aircraft, missiles, and nuclear weapons the concept was obsolete by the time the CD's arrived. They mostly sat around in quarters for a decade when they reverted to City ownership. By 1965, they were like horseshit in the old days, seen everywhere around the city as spares and even front line apparatus. They bridged the gap until the new Macks arrived in the late 1960's."
Bronx72
Aug 31, 2013
"E82 received their 1960 WLF Firebrand on 9/28/60. It was in service until 82 got one of the first Mack CF's (#1072, but maybe not the first one put in service) in early Dec. 1968. That means that the WLF was at 82 for [i
]8 years.[/i] During that time here are the Runs for 82, starting in 1961: 2648, 2733, 3051, 4612, 5137, 6234, 6659, 9111. The last year, 1968, vaulted E82 to #1 in the city for Runs, which includes all units, not just Engines. The total runs for the 8-year period is 40,185! While we can presume that the truck missed some runs due to maintenance downtime, it was not affected by interchanges, and the total is remarkable. It's a wonder that it was able to see service at E249 afterwards for over a year until 249 got their 1970 Mack."
guitarman314
Sep 4, 2013
"Those fugly 1960 Ward LaFarnce Firebrands held up pretty well. Engine 46 had one and so did busy Brooklyn E209, E216, E217 and E235."
When the WLF Firebrands went into service in1960 they were nicknamed "The Pagoda" by the firefighters because the cab looked like it had been designed in Chinatown. This was not a popular buy for the men. They felt it a step back in the quality of equipment, as they had with the purchase of the...
www.nycfire.net
Ward LaFrance Truck Corp. was a fire apparatus builder located in Elmira Heights, New York.
Historyedit | edit source
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.
.
Ward LaFrance pictures
wardlafrance.com