Crimson Fire began manufacturing fire apparatus in 1912 as Luverne Auto Company in Luverne, MN. Although the company's earlier origin is difficult to trace, documents indicate that in 1896 the Leicher Brothers purchased what was then identified as Luverne Wagon Works. For the next six years, the company continued to manufacture quality horse-drawn wagons and buggies.

Forced by industrial changes, in 1903 the company produced its first automobile, eventually producing the very first motorized funeral coaches in the United States.

The Luverne Auto Company also manufactured a line of trucks; including the very first tilting box dump truck in the nation. Then in 1912, the company manufactured its first fire truck. By 1915 they were producing their first engine pumper. Eventually, Luverne was building trucks for cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, Tulsa and many others.

During this time, another manufacturer, Quality Manufacturing, was making fine fire apparatus in Talladega, AL. Quality was founded in 1962 with the philosophy of providing quality products and services to the fire fighting industry. This philosophy made them the preferred manufacturer for departments such as Dallas, Birmingham and Atlanta.