Sad news in the fire apparatus industry out of South Carolina – this is from SConFire.com
SConFire.com has confirmed that American LaFrance LLC (Fire Apparatus Builders) based in Moncks Corner, Pimlico and Ephrata Pa have CLOSED their DOORS today @ 5pm. Telling employees they are closed and not to return next week, we have reached out to Patriarch Partners the Parent Company of ALF for comment, we will bring more news as soon as we can confirm more details. Estimates are over 150 people are out of a job today due to these actions.
thanks Dennis & Shawn
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#1 by ENG 17 on January 22, 2014 - 12:59 PM
I assume they must have some units in production? I wonder what happens to those orders….
#2 by Crabby Milton on January 20, 2014 - 12:52 PM
I doubt that will change the value of those since there are many models of defunct builders and their value isn’t much different. I would however love to see if anyone has an ALF EAGLE.
#3 by Michael M on January 20, 2014 - 12:21 PM
I have 5 American LaFrance Fire engine models in my collection. They are in mint condition and I do have the boxes. Will they be worth any more now that the company no longer exists?
#4 by ffpm571 on January 19, 2014 - 7:26 PM
The museum will not be closing..
Below is a statement from Mayor Summey
The City of North Charleston has received word that American LaFrance, LLC has been shut down by its parent company. The North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center remains open and will continue to provide top notch fire safety and history education to the public. The company’s closure does not affect the museum’s functions and day to day operations.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Charleston-and-American-LaFrance-Fire-Museum-and-Educational-Center/51428931493?hc_location=timeline
#5 by Bill Post on January 19, 2014 - 3:50 AM
The writing was on the wall. There had been several hints that it would happen over the last several months and in reality even longer then that.
One of the last big hints that I had recently saw was when I had found out that the Los Angeles City Fire Department who had been buying ALF/ LTI Tillered Aerials exclusively since 2000 and had been buying LTI aerials (before ALF acquired LTI) exclusively since around 1993 was not going to be buying its next Aerial ladders from them and in fact was looking at other manufacturers to choose from.
Maybe now hopefully the Snorkel will be back on the market instead of being held hostage by Corporate Greed just like fmddc 1 stated.
Here is an irony the City of Philadelphia still uses two full sized 85 foot Snorkels that were built during the late 1970s and were originally delivered on Amercan La France Cab and Chassis (the real ALF) and has since been remounted on KME chassis in 1997 and are still used as Truck companies on a daily basis. Within the last few months they had 2 of 3 new Tillered Aerial Ladders delivered from of all manufacturers ,that’s right American La France. Apparently Philly liked the LTI Ladders because as of the last year or two their Engines have been KME.
Maybe now Philadelphia will be able to order new Snorkels instead of remounting their old ones.
Ultimately this might mean the return of the genuine Snorkel.
Joe I hope that you’re right.
Perhaps their museum collection in North Charleston South Carolina will also be liquidated because they have Chicago’s Original Snorkel which they don’t deserve to have. It should be in Chicago, Checkout the photo link below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacksull/2873628601/in/photostream/
#6 by rusty on January 18, 2014 - 8:00 PM
Dont forget about LTI Ladders too
#7 by Joe on January 18, 2014 - 5:48 PM
The good news here is that one of the remaining fire apparatus manufactures will buy up what’s left of ALF’s patents during the bankruptcy, which may mean the snorkel will reappear elsewhere. There seems to still be enough of a demand for a snorkel that the patent could go for a decent amount of money and the design could show up again relatively soon.
#8 by Crabby Milton on January 18, 2014 - 11:58 AM
Yes sad is the best way to put it. However, it should not matter if the person leading it is nice or not. If a product is good, it will sell. If it’s bad, it will not sell and it doesn’t matter who owns it. To me if someone is truly greedy, they will do things right since you can’t make money if the factory is not building anything or what they are building is crapola. The market determines such things and has sadly determined that ALF is no good. We all love fire apparatus but when it comes right down to it and cannot speak from personal experience like most of you guys but when that alarm sounds, you guys need a rig that will perform above and beyond and enough departments in North America don’t think that AMERICAN LaFRANCE is up to it. Yes I feel for anyone who is thrown out of work but at what point do you draw the line of responsibility?
#9 by fmddc1 on January 18, 2014 - 10:46 AM
Sad to see it happen, but it was bound to. The leader of their “PARENT COMPANY” is a, well let’s just say “not a nice person”. Don’t care how many television interviews or magazine articles have sung her praises in the past about how great a person she is or how she has taken company’s about to go under such as ALF and turned them around and regenerated them! She is a money hungry, out for her self, lying, conniving, LIQUIDATOR! She ruined ALF. Honestly, look at their products over the last 14 plus years! They have held onto the snorkel trade mark for all this time not producing anything nor letting anyone else! Little know fact is ALF has many times over tried to stop production on anything that even looked like a snorkel! Greed, greed! And her at the helm! Lynn whatever her last name is, (it escapes me right now), has thrown another 150 people on the street with no warning or even caring enough to have involved them in anyway! My heart goes out to them and their families. I haven’t cared for ALF much over the past 15 years, but still, it has been a brand name associated with the fire service forever. It should have had a more dignified service to it’s end then this. But, that’s how snaky their parent company is.