FireCab Apparatus?

[olddinosaur]

Does anybody have any experience with FireCab apparatus? Any details on the company?

[ffp8106]

they went out of business several years ago.

[chiefengineer11]

they went out of business several years ago.

They built what was much ballyhooed (by them, of course) as the ultimate rear mount ladder. It was reasonably short and had no front overhang at all. I did see it, and it looked pretty neat. How it works(ed), I don't know, or even if it still exists. I keep referring to "it" because I don't think they ever built another one. They also built at least one engine. I saw it at New York Chiefs one of the years they were in Syracuse.

The truck was on a 4-door Volvo chassis.The Volvo chassis was quite nice, but the pump plumbing was horrible. On the subject of that 4-door Volvo, if Volve had badged it Autocar (they still owned A-car at that time), they wouldn't have been able to build them fast enough.

Stay safe out there, everyone goes home!

[firetdriver99]

Does anybody have any experience with FireCab apparatus? Any details on the company?

I dont think they went out of business they just quit building fire trucks. It was their second priority anyway they were a machine shop that wanted something to do in their down time and purchased rights to one of the old chassis manufacturer that went out of business. My guess they found out that building trucks is a full time job. They did build a nice pumper for Altoona Fire in Pa and a demo they had unfinished was sold just recently and finished by M&W fire apparatus out VA. According to their web page. I dont know if they purchased the rights to the company or not or plant or bringing the cab back in production it didnt say. My guess with the new engine standards for 2007 I doubt its worth the hassel.

[GFD940]

Firecab was a subsidary of CECO/ Taylor Mfg. in Chambersburg, PA. They apparently ceased truck production in mid-2000. According to Olyphant, PA fire department's website they refused to refund a $60,000 downpayment they had made for a new truck which was never started. The company went bankrupt in 2002 and was purchased at auction by Ajax Technologies that same year.

[sklump]

Did they build a good fire truck?

[chiefengineer11]

Did they build a good fire truck?

I remember having quite a go 'round with their engineer at the N.Y. Chiefs' show some years ago over their plumbing. Nice truck but the plumbing was pretty awful. Lots of threaded pipe elbows, loaded with internal friction loss.