History and Overview
The Crown Coach Corporation, of Los Angeles, California, began building buses in 1915.
In 1951 Crown started building fire apparatus that used distinctive rounded faces of Crown’s buses. This new line of custom cab-forward fire apparatus called the Crown Firecoach. Crown was the second builder in America to offer a custom cab-forward fire truck.
Crown’s market principally was on the west coast and was concentrated around Los Angeles. About one-third of all Crowns built served in either the City or County of Los Angeles. Crown expanded its product line in 1961 and began building Snorkels. In 1967 Crown started using Maxim aerial ladders. In all, about 800 Crown Firecoaches were built between 1951 and 1982, when Crown ceased building fire apparatus.
