Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation company, announced it has secured an order for 21 fire apparatus from Huntsville Fire & Rescue in Huntsville, Alabama. Sold through Pierce dealer, Emergency Equipment Professionals, the fire apparatus order is the largest in over a decade for the state of Alabama. The new fire apparatus include 17 Pierce Enforcer pumpers, three Ascendant 100’ Heavy-Duty mid-mount Aerial Towers on Velocity chassis, and one Heavy-Duty HazMat Response Unit on a Velocity chassis. Huntsville Fire & Rescue currently has two Pierce engines and a ladder tower in production and will welcome these new fire apparatus into service to remove aging trucks from frontline service.
“Huntsville Fire & Rescue is the oldest chartered fire department in the state, and we still operate out of many historic firehouses with confined truck bays and low-entry doors,” said Howard McFarlen, Chief of Huntsville Fire & Rescue.
“Pierce was one of the only manufacturers who could work with our size restrictions, and based on evaluating multiple factors over the years, we are very pleased with all aspects of owning and operating Pierce apparatus. We have peace of mind knowing we have a dealer and manufacturer who stand behind their product and will provide knowledgeable resources and convenient access to aftermarket support.”
Huntsville Fire & Rescue’s new fire apparatus will feature:
Pierce Enforcer Pumpers
- Enforcer chassis
- 500-gallon water tank
- Waterous 1500 gpm single-stage pump
- Cummins X12 455 hp engine
- 84” cab allowing additional room for EMS cabinets, crew spacing, and transverse
compartment below the forward-facing crew cab seats
Ascendant 100’ Heavy-Duty Aerial Towers
- Mid-mount configuration
- Velocity chassis
- 100’ five section aerial tower
- 300-gallon water tank
- Waterous 2000 gpm single-stage pump
- Cummins X15 605 hp engine
Heavy-Duty HazMat Response Unit
- Velocity chassis
- Cummins X15 605 hp engine
- Integrated command center with multiple video monitors, satellite communications, and weather monitoring capabilities
All fire apparatus will include:
- TAK-4 Independent Suspension
- Side roll and frontal impact protection
- Electric door locks on cab and compartment doors
Chief McFarlen added, “Our apparatus must be capable of responding to everything from flat terrain to steep mountain roadways. There are several features, including Pierce’s TAK-4 Independent Suspension, which have proven to be critical for the safe navigation of this diverse terrain, multi-lane highways, and narrower roadways in the inner-city and historic districts.”
Huntsville Fire & Rescue covers a 220-square-mile area of both urban and rural communities in North Alabama. The department responds to more than 22,000 service calls per year out of 19 fire stations in a service area which includes the most populous city in Alabama, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command.
“We are incredibly honored to support Huntsville Fire & Rescue with such a significant fire apparatus order and sincerely appreciate the trust they have in our team,” said Jeff Kuntz, Owner of Emergency Equipment Professionals.
“We are proud to collaborate on this endeavor and greatly value our relationship with the department. The new fire apparatus adds to a growing Pierce fleet and will strengthen emergency response capabilities for many years to come.”
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Media contact
Rebecca Morpeth Spayne,
Editor, International Fire Buyer
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: editor@firebuyer.com
