Midwest Fire

What Midwest Fire does

Midwest Fire Equipment & Repair Company, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Luverne, Minnesota, is a privately held custom fire apparatus manufacturer serving fire departments across the United States and Canada. The company designs and builds a full line of specialty vehicles — Tanker-Pumpers, Tankers, Pumpers (including All-Poly Series and Custom Pumpers), Brush Trucks, Quick-Attack units, Type 3 wildland trucks, and Mini Pumpers — with its proprietary All-Poly® polypropylene construction as the core differentiator. This material is rust-proof, corrosion-proof, lightweight, and carries a lifetime warranty on the tank and body, providing a durable alternative to traditional stainless steel and aluminum fire apparatus. The company operates a factory-direct sales model in which customers work with in-house sales representatives from specification through delivery and post-sale service at the Luverne manufacturing facility, supported by cooperative purchasing access through Sourcewell and HGACBuy.

The business is structured around one-time hardware sales of custom or stock apparatus, with quote-based pricing that varies by specifications, chassis, pump configuration, and tank capacity. Customer acquisition mixes digital content marketing, industry trade show presence (including FDIC International), a $1,000 referral program, and cooperative purchasing channels. Customers are predominantly municipal, rural, and volunteer fire departments — many serving areas without hydrant infrastructure or facing wildfire exposure — with documented repeat buyers such as Stanley Volunteer Rural Fire Association (four purchases since 2013). Leadership transitioned in 2014 when Sarah Atchison and her husband Dean acquired the company; Sarah serves as CEO and President, and Darcie Johnson was promoted to CFO in July 2024. The company is certified as a Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), has pursued ISO 9001 certification, and has been recognized multiple times by Prairie Business Magazine as a 50 Best Places to Work winner, most recently in 2025.

Name

Midwest Fire

Legal name

Midwest Fire Equipment & Repair Company

Website

https://midwestfire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Midwest Fire Equipment & Repair Company is a Luverne, Minnesota-based manufacturer of custom fire apparatus — tankers, pumpers, brush trucks, and quick-attack units — using proprietary All-Poly® polypropylene construction, sold factory-direct to municipal and rural fire departments across the US and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Fire Apparatus Manufacturing

NAICS

Pump and Compressor Manufacturing (33391)

SIC

Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561)

akta.pro primary industry

Pump & Compressor Packages (Skids, Booster Sets) (IMAHANAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fire Protection Piping & Sprinkler System Components (IMADALAJ)

Keywords

• Custom fire apparatus
• Fire truck manufacturing
• Polypropylene tanker construction
• Rural fire equipment
• Brush truck fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fire Apparatus Sales: One-time purchase of custom fire trucks including Tankers, Tanker-Pumpers, Pumpers, Brush Trucks, Quick-Attack units, Mini Pumpers, and Type 3 trucks. Customers can purchase stock units (ready for immediate delivery) or custom-built apparatus. Direct sales model eliminates dealer markups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Midwest Fire designs and manufactures custom fire apparatus — including Tanker-Pumpers, Tankers, Pumpers, Brush Trucks, Quick-Attack units, Type 3 wildland trucks, and Mini Pumpers — at its single Luverne, Minnesota facility. The company uses its proprietary All-Poly® polypropylene construction for tanks and bodies (with lifetime warranty) and sells factory-direct to fire departments across the United States and Canada without a dealer network.

Product overview

Midwest Fire is a custom fire apparatus manufacturer offering a portfolio of specialized vehicles built with their proprietary All-Poly construction technology. The product line includes Tanker-Pumpers, Tankers, Pumpers, Custom Pumpers, Brush Trucks, Quick-Attack units, Type 3 wildland trucks, and Mini Pumpers. All-Poly Series products feature polypropylene construction that is rust-proof, corrosion-proof, and lightweight while remaining strong and rigid, with a lifetime warranty on tanks and bodies. The company operates on a factory-direct sales model and serves fire departments across the United States and Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tanker-Pumper (All-Poly Series) Combination fire apparatus functioning as both a tanker and pumper, featuring All-Poly® construction with tank and body, lifetime warranty, capacity up to 4,000 gallons, low center of gravity and optimized weight distribution, NFPA compliance, and extruded aluminum rub-rails. Built for fire departments needing water transport and pumping in a single unit.
• Tanker (All-Poly Series) Water-transport fire apparatus with All-Poly® construction, overhead fill and internal vent/overflow, low center of gravity design, and PPG base/clear paint finish. Carries up to 4,000 gallons for departments needing mobile water supply in hydrant-scarce areas.
• Pumper (All-Poly Series) Fire pumper with aluminum pump-house super-structure, 750–1,250 gallon polypropylene tank with optional foam cell, and pump/plumbing configurations up to 1,500 GPM. Designed for structural firefighting with lifetime-warranty All-Poly construction.
• Custom Pumper Fully customized fire pumper built to specification, allowing fire departments to select features, configurations, and equipment to meet unique operational needs. Uses All-Poly® construction and aluminum pump-house super-structure with 750–1,250 gallon tank and pump capacities up to 1,500 GPM.
• Brush Truck Compact off-road fire apparatus designed for brush fires and wildfires, with multiple storage compartments, 100–700 GPM engine-driven pump options, engineered extruded aluminum flatbed, NFPA-compliant features, and Whelen LED warning light package.
• Quick-Attack Rapid-response fire apparatus with sweep-out style compartments, LED lighting, 100–400 GPM engine-driven pump options, NFPA-compliant warning lights and striping, 200–300 gallon poly tank, and emergency siren and speaker.
• Type 3 Wildland fire apparatus built for off-road and rural firefighting, with All-Poly® construction, various pump and plumbing configurations, 500–750 gallon poly tank, and optional foam/CAFS systems.
• Mini Pumper Compact fire pumper with All-Poly® construction, 750–1,500 GPM pump capacity, NFPA-compliant warning lights and striping, and multiple customized options for smaller-scale fire suppression operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Competitive pricing - departments have purchased two tanker pumpers for less than one competing pumper at $700,000
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SourcewellcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSourcewell is a service cooperative created by the Minnesota legislature as a local unit of government. Midwest Fire was awarded a contract as an approved supplier through Sourcewell's cooperative purchasing program. This simplifies the purchasing process for government agencies and fire departments using purchasing grants by fulfilling bid requirements through Sourcewell's RFP process. Services are available to government agencies throughout the United States.
• HGACBuycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHGACBuy is a cooperative purchasing program that helps improve the bid process for fire departments purchasing apparatus. Midwest Fire participates in HGACBuy to provide another cooperative purchasing option for customers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• KME (Kovatch Mobile Equipment): Kovatch Mobile Equipment, a REV Group subsidiary, produces custom fire apparatus including pumpers, tankers, and aerial platforms. Directly comparable as a custom fire truck manufacturer competing for similar municipal contracts.
• Seagrave Fire Apparatus: Seagrave manufactures custom fire apparatus including pumpers, tankers, and rescue vehicles. A direct peer in custom-built fire trucks for municipal and industrial fire departments, with a similar factory-direct heritage.
• Ferrara Fire Apparatus: Ferrara, a REV Group subsidiary, manufactures custom fire apparatus including pumpers, tankers, and industrial fire trucks. A direct peer in custom fire apparatus manufacturing serving municipal and industrial fire departments.
• Smeal Fire Apparatus: Smeal manufactures custom fire apparatus including pumpers, aerial ladders, and tankers. A direct peer in custom fire truck manufacturing serving municipal and industrial fire departments across the U.S.
• Rosenbauer America: Rosenbauer America is a direct custom fire apparatus competitor producing pumpers, tankers, and aerial apparatus. Comparable as a custom fire truck OEM targeting municipal buyers with both traditional and innovative construction methods.
• HME (Henderson Manufacturing): HME manufactures custom fire apparatus including pumpers, tankers, and rescue vehicles. Comparable as a custom fire truck OEM targeting municipal fire departments with similar product mix.
• Toyne: Toyne is a smaller custom fire apparatus manufacturer specializing in pumpers, tankers, and rescue trucks. Highly comparable in scale and target customer (rural/municipal fire departments), competing in the same custom-built segment.

Broad incumbents

• Pierce Manufacturing (Oshkosh): Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation subsidiary, is the largest U.S. custom fire apparatus manufacturer. Directly comparable as a custom fire truck OEM serving municipal fire departments, with similar pumpers, tankers, and custom apparatus.
• E-ONE: E-ONE, a REV Group subsidiary, is a leading fire apparatus manufacturer producing custom pumpers, tankers, aerials, and rescue trucks. Directly comparable in fire truck manufacturing, though operating at significantly larger scale than Midwest Fire.
• REV Group: REV Group is a major fire apparatus conglomerate owning E-ONE, KME, Ferrara, and Spartan Emergency Response. Directly comparable as a multi-brand fire truck manufacturer serving municipal and industrial fire departments across the U.S.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/midwestfire
• Facebookfacebook.com/MidwestFireTrucks

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Midwest Fire