Fire History Gallery

History Book Pays Tribute To New Haven Firefighters

New Haven, CT - A captioned pictorial history book depicting the early days of the New Haven Fire Department titled "New Haven Firefighters" is currently on sale at most Barnes & Noble book stores. It is a "must read" for any fire service enthusiast.

The book was penned on behalf of Box 22 Associates by New Haven Fire Commissioner William Celentano and New Haven Battalion Chief Edward Flynn (ret). with the help of Dorrance Johnson who served as an associate advisor. The fully illustrated 128 page book contains an overview of the department from its' early beginnings,as a hearty band of volunteers in the 1600's, to the 1970's when John Reardon served as Chief.

Maxim Motor Company
Manufacturing Fire Apparatus Since 1914

Shortly after the turn of the century when gasoline engines were in use as the motivating power for the "horseless carriage" Ernest L. Maxim, then president of the Maxim Motor Company, and his father Carleton W. Maxim, the company's founder, became interested in the idea of manufacturing motor driven fire apparatus.

The firm had previously been manufacturing heavy duty horse drawn commercial wagons and the elder Maxim, who was also the Fire Chief in Middleboro at the time, wanted his town to have a motorized fire truck.

One of the first motorized trucks to be manufacturted by Maxim was a combination hose and ladder truck. It was sold to the town of Middleboro MA in 1914.

View rare Maxim delivery photos below. Click on images to enlarge.

The Maxim Motor Company later became one of six major fire apparatus manfacturers in the country and went on to build a complete line of apparatus including the Maxim-Magitus ladder that could be extended 170 feet. The company also produced a specialized foam truck for fighting fires in oil tank farms.

During World War II, Maxim constructed apparatus for the United States Army and at times produced as many as 20 pieces of apparatus per week.

Maxims were popular in many CT communities due to the close proximity of the plant and the availability of parts and service. As one example, Branford CT used Maxim apparatus exclusively for nearly two decades.

Back to top 5