Restore the 1927 American LaFrance Ladder Truck

Help the Ennis Professional Firefighters Association restore this truck! In 1927 the Ennis, Texas Fire Department purchased its first ladder truck for the Ennis Fire Department, a 1927 American LaFrance, serial number 5827. This truck then gave the firefighters the opportunity to reach fires at a height greater than 20 feet. The truck was equipped with a 750-gallon per minute pump, a 50-gallon water tank, a fire hose bed, a fire hose, nozzles, and several ladders.

The ladder truck was delivered on a railroad flat car and was off-loaded on SW Main St. It was a glorious day for the Ennis Fire Department as there are stories of spraying water through hose streams of 150 feet.

The 1927 American LaFrance ladder truck remained in service to the City of Ennis until 1964, when it was sold to a shoe manufacturing company in Ft. Worth.

In 2006, the truck was recovered by the Ennis Fire Fighters Association with the intent to refurbish it and use it for public engagement. Your donation is helping them raise funds for that effort. Thank you for your contribution. For more information, contact the Ennis Welcome Center or visit our fundraising website.