Made in New Jersey

From the early 19th Century to the early 20th Century, firefighters used horsepower to tow their apparatuses to the scene of fires. By the second decade of the 20th century, however, fire departments began to abandon their horses in favor of mechanized, gasoline-propelled vehicles. This American La France engine, with hoses and smaller ladders, was put into service in Union Township in 1928. In addition, this engine has an open cab, which allowed firefighters to take stock of the  emergency as they approached the scene. American La France, still one of the chief manufacturers of fire engines, operated a plant in Bloomfield during the 1920s.