Roney Fire Apparatus was a Portland, Oregon based fire truck builder and equipment supplier owned and operated by Doug Roney. The first Roney fire trucks were built in Seattle, then sent to Portland for final assembly. The Roney production facility was built in 1952, at which time all apparatus was built in house. Roney Fire Apparatus was in business until approximately 1960. Many Roney pumpers were sold throughout the NW, with some still in service. The trucks were all built on commercial chassis and utilized a simple but durable bolt together construction.
In 1961, Doug Roney made the decision to sell his fire apparatus business to the Convoy Company, a Portland based vehicle transport company. Convoy changed the apparatus name to Westland, and produced vehicles for approximately two years. Westland produced the only fire trucks built on the Freightliner fire truck chassis, known as the Fireliner. Two pumpers and two Snorkels were built for the cities of Chehalis and Renton, both located in Washington.
In 1963, The Convoy Company decided building fire apparatus was not what they thought it would be, and found a wealthy California business man looking for a business his son could take over and make his own fortune. That business man was J.S. Durrell, who owned Western Steel Tank and Body Works, located in Berkeley, just outside Oakland. Mr Durrell moved all the manufacturing to his plant and began producing Wesco Fire Apparatus. Doug Roney operated as the selling dealer in the Northwest, while his oldest son Ken worked out of the factory as the Sales Manager. Wesco produced several pieces of apparatus that were delivered in the Northwest, as well as a substantial order built for the California Department of Forestry. Wesco operated until just after Mr. Durrell"s son was killed in an auto accident in 1965.As you look at the different brands, you will notice, with the exception of the CDF trucks, the bodies are all trademark Roney design, especially the pump panels. The trucks pretty much remained the same, despite being built in three different locations.
