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Roney's
Fire Equipment
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| Roney
Fire Apparatus was a Portland, Oregon based fire truck builder and
equipment supplier owned and operated by Doug Roney. The first Roney fire
trucks were built in Seattle, then sent to Portland for final assembly.
The Roney production facility was built in 1952, at which time all
apparatus was built in house. Roney Fire Apparatus was in business until
approximately 1960. Many Roney pumpers were sold throughout the NW, with
some still in service. The trucks were all built on commercial chassis and
utilized a simple but durable bolt together construction.
Doug Roney's son and
grandson, Bruce and Will Roney, are members of the PNW chapter of SPAAMFAA
and are the proud owners of a 1954 Roney pumper on a Diamond T chassis
that was built for Long Beach, Washington. Bruce and Will were able to buy
the truck from the Long Beach fire department in 2002.
Click
here to see pictures of Roney Fire Apparatus |
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| In
1961, Doug Roney made the decision to sell his fire apparatus business to
the Convoy Company, a Portland based vehicle transport company. Convoy
changed the apparatus name to Westland, and produced vehicles for
approximately two years. Westland produced the only fire trucks built on
the Freightliner fire truck chassis, known as the Fireliner. Two pumpers
and two Snorkels were built for the cities of Chehalis and Renton, both
located in Washington.
Click
here to see pictures of Westland Fire Apparatus
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| In
1963, The Convoy Company decided building fire apparatus was not what they
thought it would be, and found a wealthy California business man looking
for a business his son could take over and make his own fortune. That
business man was J.S. Durrell, who owned Western Steel Tank and Body
Works, located in Berkeley, just outside Oakland. Mr Durrell moved all the
manufacturing to his plant and began producing Wesco Fire Apparatus. Doug
Roney operated as the selling dealer in the Northwest, while his oldest
son Ken worked out of the factory as the Sales Manager. Wesco produced
several pieces of apparatus that were delivered in the Northwest, as well
as a substantial order built for the California Department of Forestry.
Wesco operated until just after Mr. Durrell's son was killed in an auto
accident in 1965.
As you look at the
different brands, you will notice, with the exception of the CDF trucks,
the bodies are all trademark Roney design, especially the pump panels. The
trucks pretty much remained the same, despite being built in three
different locations.
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