In 1938, American LaFrance pioneered the first cab-forward fire apparatus, then revolutionized the concept in 1945 with the classic 700 Series. In the 1950s, legendary names such as Ahrens Fox, Crown Firecoach, Mack, Maxim, Pirsch, and Seagrave began offering their own cab-forward versions. The cab-forward design became the glamour queen of fire apparatus.

This volume traces the evolution of cab-forward fire apparatus from its fathering to today's industry giants, with a brilliant selection of black and white and color photographs with historical commentary and technical data.