Luverne Fire Apparatus Ltd.

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Luverne Fire Apparatus Company was an American fire apparatus manufacturer located in Brandon, South Dakota. The company operated a plant in Luverne, Minnesota between 1903 and 1985 before they moved to Brandon. They continued operating until 2003.
==History==
Al and Ed Leicher bought Luverne Wagon Works in 1896. In 1903, the business was renamed the Luverne Automobile Company. It was changed to the Luverne Motor Truck Company in 1912. In 1923 it became the Luverne Fire Apparatus Company. They built their first fire truck in 1913. Between 1913 and 1985, the Luverne plant built pumpers, tankers, brush trucks and rescues in Minnesota and in some neighboring states.
In 1985, Luverne Fire Apparatus Company was acquired by Luverne Truck Equipment Company of Brandon, South Dakota and moved their operations. At this time, the regional manufacturer started to sell trucks nationally, they also started to sell trucks on custom chassis (Spartan and HME).
In 1997, the company was purchased by Spartan Motors Inc. of Charlotte, Michigan. Spartan also acquired Quality Fire Apparatus of Talladega, Alabama. Between 1997 and 2003, Luverne and Quality continued to sell trucks independently, each serving a different geographical area.
In 2003, Spartan Motors merged Luverne and Quality into Crimson Fire, a new subsidiary company. In 2012, Crimson Fire became Spartan Emergency Rescue Vehicles, or Spartan ERV. The Brandon plant continues production today.
==See also==
:Category:Departments operating Luverne apparatus
==Sources==
* McCall, Walter M.P. Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Fire Engine Manufacturers. Hudson, WI: Iconografix, 2009.
Category:Defunct American fire apparatus manufacturers