Fox17Online
SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. — Ever remember as a child (especially the boys) we all (at one time or another) wanted to be a firefighter. It was the job to do! The hero!
Certainly during (and after) 9-11 there has been a heightened awareness to first responders and the job they do when they put their life on the line each and everyday to save people. That said, there is a small company in South Haven called Spencer Manufacturing that builds fire trucks for departments across the Great Lakes and Midwest. The company was started back in 1985 and has since been taken over by the next generation of Spencers.
West Michigan Stories went on a tour of the facility to learn exactly how these important life-saving and property-saving vehicles are made. Spencer makes both large and small fire trucks for several different applications. They start with a simple chassis from places like Ford, or perhaps Charlotte based Freightliner that makes rigs for 18 wheeler semi-tractor trailers. They then build an all aluminum frame or substructure and adhere it to the chassis in order to house the actual box portion of the fire truck we see.
Full story: Building Fire Trucks In South Haven