Mesquite Firefighters 1944 American LaFrance Ladder Truck

Mesquite Firefighters 1944 American LaFrance Ladder Truck Former Mesquite Firefighters Association L-1518, 1944 American LaFrance 100 ft. Ladder Truck. The Truck has been donated to Mesquite ISD's Vanguard High School.

In 1944, Washington D.C. Fire Department purchased a new 600 series
American LaFrance (ALF), open top, tiller ladder truck with a 100 foot steel
ladder. It was assigned as Truck Company No. 1 to protect our Nation's capitol
during the end of World War II. DCFD maintained this unit as front line for 12
years and then in 1959 used as a trade-in to buy a new aerial truck. In 1959 the City of Mesqui

te bought the truck at auction for $5000. It served the City from 1959 to 1977. It was sold at auction and went to
Lamesa to be used in parades and as an eye grabber for a store. In 2003 the truck was rediscovered by members of the
Mesquite Fire Fighters Association, the "boot" was passed and the truck was
purchased by the MFFA Local 1518 for $6000. After 9 years of hard work the '44 ALF once again drove in prominence in the
annual Mesquite Rodeo Parade on March 31, 2012.

10/07/2024
History of
08/06/2022

History of

04/16/2022

Mesquite Independent School District will be receiving this recently built Pierce Saber Pumper to utilize at their Vanguard Fire Academy. The academy trains high school students to become professional firefighters. We were proud to work with Mesquite ISD on this important rig!

03/03/2022

FYI, To the best of my knowledge, due to the lack of any one being able or willing to take care of and maintain, the 1944 Ladder Truck has been donated to Mesquite ISD’s Vanguard High School.

07/20/2018

Discover Geocaching Contest 7/23-7/29
Geocaching is a fun family activity where you use a GPS device or your phone to locate hidden caches all around the world.

On Monday July 23, ten new geocaches will be activated in Mesquite. Clue words are associated with each cache. Find 2 caches, write down the clue names and bring them with you to the Parks and Recreation administration office at 1515 N. Galloway and collect your prize!

Go to www.CityofMesquite.com/GEO to sign up and join in the world’s largest treasure hunt!
The contest ends on July 29 and prizes can be picked up until July 31.

For more information about Parks and Recreation Month visit: www.CityofMesquite.com/July

05/16/2018
2016 Mesquite Rodeo Parade!Thanks to Peggy Lindsay for the photos!
04/02/2016

2016 Mesquite Rodeo Parade!
Thanks to Peggy Lindsay for the photos!

03/21/2016
In 1944, the Washington DC Fire Department purchased a new American LaFrance ladder truck. It was a 600 series, open top...
03/21/2016

In 1944, the Washington DC Fire Department purchased a new American LaFrance ladder truck. It was a 600 series, open top cab with a 100 foot steel telescoping aerial ladder on a tiller rig. It was assigned as Truck Company No. 1 protecting our nations capitol during World War II. DCFD maintained this unit as front line for 12 years and then in 1959 used it as trade-in to buy a new aerial truck.

At the time, the City of Mesquite was in need of a ladder truck for the rapidly growing community. Upon learning this apparatus was for sale, the Mesquite Fire Department placed the highest bid of $5000. The newly appointed Chief of the Mesquite Fire Department James Lewis and Captains L.G. Bud Riggs and John McDaniel along with Dallas Fireman Homer Caret made the trip from Mesquite to Washington DC to bring the truck to Texas.

Built for the hilly terrain of the capitol, the truck had a top speed of about 35 mph. The four men worked in two hour shifts, driving from dawn to dusk in an attempt to get the truck to Mesquite in five days, but threw a rod near Leland, Mississippi. After a three week delay, the men returned to Leland and drove the remaining 400 miles in a single day. As they pulled into the fire station parking lot, the engine caught fire but an extinguisher kept things under control.

The firemen laughed as they told the story about driving through the mountains on their return trip. It seems as though in an attempt to make up time, they would place the transition in neutral and coast down hill to pick up speed. On one such occasion, with a highway patrolman in pursuit, the tiller driver attempted to warn the front driver of the situation with nothing but a buzzer to communicate. Apparently amused by the spectacle of an aerial fire truck speeding through the mountains, the patrolman passed, shaking his head.

The American LaFrance will be in the Mesquite Rodeo Parade!
03/17/2016

The American LaFrance will be in the Mesquite Rodeo Parade!

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