The Upland Fire Department's 1915 American La France Chemical Engine

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In May of 1915, the Upland Fire Department in Southern California took delivery of its first motorized fire apparatus, a 1915 American La France Chemical Engine. Ninety-four years later, after disappearing for decades this fire truck is back home and ready to undergo a ground-up restoration.

History of the Upland Fire Department's 1915 American La France

On March 31, 1915 American La France completed the unit and two months later it was housed at Upland Fire Station 1, where it served until the mid-1930's when the City of Torrance purchased it. After its time in Torrance, the engine quietly disappeared, forgotten by most until recently when a Chatsworth woman called Upland City Manager Robb Quincey to let him know she had the truck and was hoping to sell it.

The woman was the widow of a fire truck collector who had recently passed away. The 1915 American La France has been his "baby", and after his death she needed to sell it so the woman decided to call the City of Upland, the engine's original owner to see if they would be interested in buying it.

Quincey had been working on obtaining a grant to restore Upland Fire Station 1, the 1915 American La France's original home, and had just been awarded it. Finding the long lost chemical engine came at the perfect time, as Quincey and Upland Fire Chief Michael Antonucci were able to convince the City to purchase the truck with the intention of housing it at Fire Station 1 once its renovation was complete.

Conversion From a Chemical Engine to a Pumper

Captain John Fowler of the Upland Fire Department, who has done extensive research on the history of his fire department and the role of the 1915 American La France, explains that the truck began life as a chemical engine but was turned into a junior pumper after four years. He says, "It was a chemical engine, which is different than what we have today. At least that's how it started life as a chemical engine. It had two 40 gallon chemical tanks on it, and they'd actually use the chemicals to pressurize and have the water flow out of the chemical tanks. It had a mounted hose reel and it also had a hose bed in the back to hook it up to hydrants…Pumpers were available but Upland ordered a chemical engine. It may have been a cost issue." In 1919, Upland converted it to a junior pumper, adding a 350 GPM pump. Fowler says it went from being a Type 10 to a Type 40 engine.  Fowler says that all of the truck's factory manuals and maintenance records amazingly still exist.

Restoration of 1915 American La France

The Upland Fire Department has commissioned the restoration of the pumper to its original grandeur, complete with chemical tanks. Fire Trucks Plus in Rancho Cucamonga, California will be overseeing the restoration. The owners of Fire Trucks Plus have decades of experience restoring antique automobiles, and for the past 30 years they have been refurbishing and selling used fire apparatus. As experts in this field, they are donating their time and facilities for the restoration of the truck, which will take approximately one year to complete. Upon its installation in the renovated Upland Fire Station 1, the 1915 American La France will be assigned the apparatus number of 001, according to Fowler.

Battalion Chief Don Smith of the Upland Fire Department explains the significance of finding the American La France after so many years, saying that once the truck left Torrance decades ago, the unit was forgotten and modern-day personnel from both the Upland Fire Department and Torrance Fire Department did not know that it existed until now. Thrilled by the discovery of this treasure, he says, "It is kind of an unknown commodity. It's kind of like finding a dinosaur or a wooly mammoth somewhere and digging it up and putting it back on display for the public. It's pretty exciting."

Related Video

To watch a video on a fully restored 1915 Ford Model T American La France Chemical Engine, click here.