From Abbott and Downing to Zwak, this comprehensive volume combines company histories, innovations and hundreds of photographs to present the story of American fire engine manufacturing. The objective of this book was to compile as comprehensive and complete a list as possible of the known players--the hundreds of companies that produced more than just one or two fire trucks, and which operated as continuous fire apparatus manufacturing and sales enterprises. In the main this book is an alphabetical listing of dedicated motor fire apparatus builders--companies that designed and built pumpers, ladder trucks, rescue and other types of motor fire apparatus in their own factories--from the frame-up on their own custom chassis or on commercially-available domestic truck chassis. Also included are a number of commercial chassis makers such as International, Freightliner, Kenworth and Peterbilt which forged special alliances with various fire apparatus builders, and which sometimes made and marketed fire apparatus under their own names. This encyclopedia is a vital reference source for libraries, fire station, historians, fire apparatus enthusiasts, and anyone involved in or enamored with the fire apparatus industry.