Boardman Apparatus

[boardmansteve]

Clarksville, AR

When I shot this department in 1998, it was an all-Boardman house...my kind of place!

1970 Ford/Boardman #F-1729
Gas/manual
1000/500
Unit 1

1980 Ford/Boardman #F-2425
Gas/manual
1000/750
Unit 3

1984 Ford/Boardman #F-2803
Diesel/automatic
1250/1000
Unit 2

1987 Ford/Boardman #F-2729
Diesel/automatic
1250/350/55' Readi-Tower (w/optional high side rails)
Unit 4

(Steve Loftin photos)

[boardmansteve]

Clarksville, AR

1995 Freightliner/Boardman #F-2984
Diesel/automatic
1500/1000
Unit 5

1991 Ford/Boardman #F-2864
Diesel/manual
300/300
Unit 6
(The local hospital-based ambulance service operates the area's rescue squad, so this rig acts as what it was designed for...a mini-pumper!)

Marked Tree, AR

To my knowledge, this is the only rig we built with a hose reel configuration like this.

1987 Ford/Boardman #F-2721
Diesel/manual
1000/500
Engine 3208

(Steve Loftin photos)

[boardmansteve]

Martinez, GA

Engine 2
1988 Ford/Boardman #F-2754
Diesel/automatic
1250/750
$110,890

Engine 3
1986 Ford/Boardman #F-2668
Diesel/automatic
1250/500/55' Readi-Tower
(Original low-profile boom side rails were replaced locally in order to gain ISO credit.)

Engine 6
1981 Ford/Boardman #F-2495
Diesel/automatic
1000/750

Engine 1A (reserve)
1976 Ford/Boardman #F-2186
Gas/manual
1000/500

(Steve Loftin photos)

[boardmansteve]

Richmond Co., GA

1978 Ford/Boardman #F-2337
Diesel/automatic
1000/750

1980 Ford/Boardman #F-2454
Gas/manual
1000/750
(purchased as a demonstrator)

(factory photos)

Augusta/Richmond Co. F.D.

The City of Augusta and Richmond County governments were consolidated into one agency in the late 1990s.  There were numerous fire company reassignments and apparatus changes as a result.  For instance, the former RCFD Engines 1 and 5 were running as [consolidated] Engines 6 and 15 when I photographed them in 1999.

Engine 15
1989 Ford/Boardman #F-2787
Diesel/automatic
1250/1000
(Station 15 was on a small lot with only enough parking for duty firemen.  I had to put the new rig I was delivering in 15's bay so I could shoot their pumper on the ramp!)

Engine 11
1988 Ford/Boardman #F-2783
Diesel/automatic
1250/1000
(This piece was ordered as a twin to the above rig.  Front bumper extension, warning light upgrades, and siren rearrangement was done by the RCFD shop.)

(Steve Loftin photos)

[boardmansteve]

Two more Augusta/Richmond Co. rigs, showing their evolution over the years:

1984 Ford/Boardman #F-2600
Diesel/automatic
1250/750
$94,810

Same rig in 1999, running as Engine 6

1979 Hendrickson/Boardman #F-2366
Diesel/automatic
1250/300/600 (Rockwood foam system)
$144,992

Same rig in 1999, running as Engine 16

(factory and Steve Loftin photos)

[boardmansteve]

Vernon Twp., OH
1963 Chevrolet/Boardman #F-1359
Gas/manual
500/500

Burden, KS
1952 Ford/Boardman #F-1126
Gas/manual
500/500

Lewis, KS
1955 Ford/Boardman #F-1141
Gas/manual
500/500

South Haven, KS
1964 Ford/Boardman #F-1406
Gas/manual
500/750
(This beauty was in first-line sevice until about two years ago.  A hand-written notice taped to the dash said that, by order of the city council, this truck was not to leave the city limits of South Haven.)

(factory photos)

[boardmansteve]

Saline Co. Rural Fire Prot. Ass'n. (Marshall, MO)
1975 International/Boardman #F-2141
Gas/manual
750/500

Hillsboro, NM
1961 GMC/Boardman #F-1305
Gas/manual
500/500

Bosworth, MO
1970 Ford/Boardman #F-1754
Gas/manual
500/500

McCreary Co. (Whitley City, KY)
1968 Ford/Boardman #F-1634
Gas/manual
750/500

(factory photos)

[boardmansteve]

...randomly selected for your viewing pleasure:

Yale, OK
1964 Ford/Boardman #F-1425
Gas/manual
500/500
Engine 1

Richland Rural Fire Prot. Dist. (Yukon, OK)
1963 Chevrolet/Boardman #F-1366
Gas/manual
750/300
Unit 1
(ex-Warr Acres, OK)

Holdenville, OK

1974 Ford/Boardman #F-2057
Gas/manual
1000/750
Engine 9
(Note that this girl has gauges for ALL discharges, including boosters and preconnects.)

1966 International/Boardman #F-1516
Gas/manual
750/500
Engine 8
(now at Spaulding, OK)

(Steve Loftin photos)

[txfirephoto]

Hearne, Tx
Engine 22
1988 Spartan/Boardman
1250/750

[boardmansteve]

#F-2779
Diesel/automatic
1250/750
$122,019

Here's how she looked just prior to delivery...

(factory photo)

[txfirephoto]

boardmansteve thanks for the additional info on Engine 22.

[boardmansteve]

Norman, OK
1984 International 4x4/Boardman #F-2597
Diesel/automatic
250/750
Tanker 5

Blanchard, OK
1989 International 4x4/Boardman #F-2790
Diesel/automatic
300/1150
Tank Pumper 1
$77,092

Tarkio Rural Fire Prot. Dist. (Tarkio, MO)
1986 Ford/Boardman #F-2710
Gas/manual
250/1150
Truck 6

Neosho Area Fire Prot. Dist. (Neosho, MO)
1981 GMC/Boardman #F-2458
Gas/manual
250/1150
Tanker 1

(factory photos)

[boardmansteve]

Idledale Fire Prot. Dist. (Golden, CO)
(2) 1982 GMC 4x4/Boardman #F-2522 and #F-2523
Gas/manual
250/250
$42,125

Mercedes, TX
1986 Ford/Boardman #F-2686
Gas/manual
250/250
Rescue 660
$41,895

The trucks above were built using aluminum bodies made for us by American Modular (of Ranger apparatus and Yankee ambulance fame).

Jonesboro, AR
1979 Chevrolet 4x4/Boardman #F-2397
Gas/manual
250/250
Unit 8

Krebs, OK
1982 GMC 4x4/Boardman #F-2499
Gas/manual
250/225

(factory photos)

[boardmansteve]

Moore, OK
1979 Hendrickson/Boardman #F-2385
Diesel/automatic
1500/500/50’ Readi-Tower
Engine 2
$133,515
(now at Wagoner, OK)

Paradise Hills V.F.D. (Albuquerque, NM)
1986 Ford/Boardman #F-2699
Diesel/automatic
1250/500/55' Readi-Tower
Aerial 7

Snowmass-Wildcat Fire Prot. Dist. (Snowmass Village, CO)
1988 Duplex/Boardman #F-2759
Diesel/automatic
1500/400/55' Readi-Tower
Engine 243
$197,737

Harmony Fire Co. (Mullica Hill, NJ)
1983 Ford/Boardman #F-2576
Diesel/automatic
1250/400/55'
$177,960

(factory photos)

[boardmansteve]

BOARDMAN 101

Boardman built fire apparatus in Oklahoma City from 1929-1995 and from 1995-1999 in Clinton, OK.  We were bought out by Freightliner and turned into an ALF facility in August, 1998.  ALF nameplates started appearing on our rigs in April, 1999.  Production was continued at the Clinton facility until October, 2002 when our product line was moved to ALF's main facility in Charleston, SC.

There were approximately 2,100 Boardman rigs built between 1929-1999.  Preliminary research shows that about 70% of these were on Ford chassis, with roughly 70% of those being C Series tilt cabs.  We built almost every conceivable type of apparatus (except a tiller) including pumpers, tankers, hose wagons, brush rigs, rescue and salvage units, airport crash rigs, quads, quints, midship as well as rearmount aerials and platforms, Squrts, Telesqurts, Snorkels, Snozzles, and so forth on custom as well as commercial chassis.  We bought the Readi-Tower aerial line from Reading Techmatic in 1984.  We built that product until it was absorbed by ALF and offered as part of the Aerial Innovations portfolio.  Boardman also produced many industrial rigs over the years.   

Boardman apparatus was purchased by all of the major cities in this part of the country including Amarillo, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin, Tucson, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Little Rock, Wichita, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City.  Tulsa and Oklahoma City purchased the most over the years having 39 and 50 pieces, respectively.  None were delivered to Canada; however, many were exported to Mexico and other countries on several continents.

I have photos of around 1,100 Boardmans (factory photos as well as shots taken by me and other buffs) in my collection.  That number is growing slowly; I shoot more of them each year as I travel. 

There was a fire at the plant in 1949 which destroyed all previous records.  I have at my disposal all records from 1949-1999.  If you need information about a Boardman rig, please contact me.

PLEASE - I am trying to keep track of where all of our rigs go.  If you know of a Boardman rig that has been sold or is in the hands of a subsequent owner, please let me know.  I’ll  need the Boardman serial number (F-xxxx), which will be on a data plate on the pump panel.

PLEASE - If you have any photos of Boardman apparatus (factory or otherwise), please let me know...you may have one that I don't.

THANK YOU!

Steve Loftin
P.O. Box 537
McLoud, OK   74851-0537
Home (405) 386-5312
Cellular (405) 815-7186
stevenbloftin@yahoo.com