American Fire Apparatus Co., 1922-1993 Photo Archive
ON THE BOOK SHELF
By John M. Malecky August, 2023
American Fire Apparatus Co.
1922-1993 Photo Archive
By Richard J. Gergel
Available from:
FSP Books & Videos
433 Main Street, Suite 2A
Hudson, MA 01749
1-800-522-8528
Email: support@fire-police-ems.com
www.fire-police-ems.com
Price: $32.95
This is a soft cover book measuring 8 ½ inches by 10 inches, with 126 pages. The author is deceased, but I did know him many years ago when he was with Pemfab Trucks in Rancocas, NJ. I write an apparatus deliveries column in another publication and he contributed to it. This manufacturer had been known by other names through its manufacturing years. It catered mostly to volunteer fire departments building mostly on commercial chassis, but also built on custom chassis. They sold Grove aerial ladders which is a steel cantilever bridge style and was one of the strongest in the industry. They also had a waterway device named the Aqua Jet which was similar to the Telesqurt. They have a colorful history which takes up five pages. They used an American Marsh pump. A man named Barton was connected to this pump and although the history does not mention it, you will see many of the photos listed as having a Barton American pump. The photos are exceptional, many taken by apparatus photographers whom I know or knew, as not all are alive today. Other than the cover photo which is in color, the ones in the book are all black and white. A couple of the more interesting ones include a custom rescue on page118 and a Mack pumper on page 119. Page 114 has a Seagrave/American pumper with a story of its own. A pumper with a Mack MS Midlines chassis is on page 112. Some “Plain Jane” pumpers which had front-mounted pumps are on several pages. A pumper with “Intra Cab” design is on Page 95. There are also more of these in the book and there are several aerials as well. An apparatus buff will thoroughly enjoy this book. It has been out for a while, but I do not believe I ever reviewed it. I will let you, the reader, discover the rest of these unique apparatus.
No information from the author.
