IXO 1:43 Seagrave Marauder 11: Charlotte Fire Department

Seagrave Fire Apparatus LLC is the longest running fire apparatus manufacturer in America that specializes in pumper and rescue units, as well as aerial towers. In addition to manufacturing new equipment, they refurbish, repair and upgrade older Seagrave apparatus, including National Fire Protection Association updates to equipment.

Seagrave was founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1881 by Fredric Seagrave and moved to Columbus, Ohio, in 1891. Seagrave was acquired by the FWD Corporation in 1963 and moved their corporate headquarters to Clintonville, Wisconsin.

Randolph Lenz, Chair of FWD's parent company, Corsta Corp., became embroiled in a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation suit and in 2003 all assets of FWD: FWD Corporation, Seagrave, Baker Aerialscope and Almonte Fire Trucks were sold to an investment group headed by former American LaFrance executive James Hebe. Today, the Seagrave group is a flagship company of ELB Capital Management.

Seagrave operates US manufacturing facilities in Clintonville, Wisconsin, and Rock Hill, South Carolina, and is an authorized General Services Administration vendor and supplies the United States Federal Government with firefighting equipment.

Around 1900, Seagrave opened a Canadian plant and subsequently sold a full range of apparatus until 1936. Entering into an alliance with well-known Canadian fire engine builder R. S. Bickle Co "Canadianized" versions of standard Seagrave rigs were assembled at Bickle's Woodstock, Ontario, plant, and sold under the Bickle-Seagrave banner. After several ownership changes, and closure in 1956, Bickle's successor King-Seagrave Ltd. continued to assemble Seagrave fire apparatus until 1973, when FWD Corp opted not to renew its agreement. King continued to produce fire apparatus on commercial chassises until its closure in 1985.

Seagrave purchased Canadian apparatus builder Almonte Fire Trucks of Carleton Place, Ontario, in 1999. The Carleton Place plant built commercial chassis apparatus and served the Canadian market. Production ceased in 2010 and the building was sold to Eastway Emergency Vehicles.

The Charlotte Fire Department provides fire suppression, emergency medical services, technical rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, disaster response, code enforcement, fire investigations, and public education for the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The department is responsible for an area of approximately 300 square miles (780 km2) with a population of over 792,000. The Charlotte Fire Department was officially formed in 1875, although fire services existed in the area for decades before that.