American LaFrance » 1000 Series Turbo Chief

In 1972, American LaFrance took its second run at turbine-powered fire apparatus. The big attraction at the 1972 IAFC conference in Cleveland, Ohio, was a chrome-yellow American LaFrance 1000 Series pumper powered by a 325-horsepower Detroit Diesel Allison GT 404 industrial turbine. Following the convention, this second-generation Turbo Chief made a demonstration run to the West Coast. This model could be distinguished by double chrome pipes behind the cab. Alas, it was no more successful than the Boeing turbine-powered apparatus built a decade earlier. After a few years the DDA turbine was quietly replaced by a diesel engine.