New technologies and alliances in fire equipment
Before I even set foot on the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) exhibit floor last week, I had heard the buzz about changes in the fire truck industry.
The poor economy certainly has taken its toll on apparatus manufacturers, but some have turned the corner. While there were no earth-shaking innovations introduced in Indy, I kept hearing “multi-functional rig” and “range of price points” being tossed around. We live in interesting times for firefighting apparatus.
The news creating the biggest buzz was Spartan’s decision to transform Crimson Fire into Spartan ERV (Emergency Response Vehicles). The disappearance of the Crimson name — along with Spartan’s recent decision to stop selling its chassis to fire-truck manufacturers that made their own chassis — made many people in the industry shake their heads in wonder. Spartan also announced a relationship with Gimaex, a French company with a global presence in emergency response, but several false starts at the American market. Do they hope that the third time is the charm?
Read the entire story from FIRE CHIEF, our sister publication.
