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The Ahrens-Fox Fire Engine Company was an Ohio-based fire truck manufacturer founded in 1910 by John P. Ahrens and Charles H. Fox. The company built its first motorized fire engine in 1911 and continued production until 1977, with over 1500 pieces of fire apparatus holding the Ahrens-Fox brand. Ahrens-Fox fire engines were known for their quality, durability, and long service life, as well as the iconic spherical air chamber atop a front-mounted piston pump. They were the leading builders of fire apparatus prior to World War II, renowned for their piston pumps, but they also constructed a variety of apparatus using rotary and centrifugal pumps.
This Ahrens-Fox is a 1940 Model EC open-cockpit pumper witha 750 GPM two-stage centrifugal pump (RN 9089). It features a Hercules RXLD6-cylinder engine with 592.2 cubic inches of displacement.
This apparatus served in Bellevue, KY, as the city's 2nd fire truck. In 1966, the city sold this apparatus to a private collector for $1,800. It was in use when former Bellevue mayor, Tom Rechtin Sr., was a 16-year-old volunteer firefighter, which inspired him to track it down on eBay and buy it for $4,600. Rechtin Sr. used this pumper for many years in various parades and, when not in use, stored it in the old Bellevue firehouse.
Mark Radtke and the Salty Dog Museum graciously donated the 1940 Model EC to the Koorsen Museum in September 2026.
