KME Selling?

[smokey240]

Heard a rumor through the grapevine that KME is selling....anyone hear any truth to that?

Just curious?

Chris

[lvwrench]

Narry a word that I have heard but it would not surprise me any. Doubt if they will ever sell one of theirs here again after what the county went through the first time they bought one. I remember some of the stuff they built for the Air Force ages ago.YUK. Some people like em and some don't.

[Bones42]

It's not a rumor, it's a fact. KME is selling....................tru cks.

[Res343cue]

It's not a rumor, it's a fact. KME is selling....................tru cks.

I read that and I instantly thought I saw "junks"

[FWDbuff]

If E-One bought KME I wouldnt know who to feel sorry for........????????

[Res343cue]

PS -- Anyone see the article about KME in 'Fire Chief' mag this month?

HAHAHAHHAHA

[BVFD1983]

http://firechief.com/mag/firefighting_family_business

[Ledebuhr1]

Who ever buys them has a major job to fix there bad image. Does anyone who works at KME, ever acknologe that they dont have the best reputation for quality.

[BVFD1983]

Why would they do a stupid thing like that?

To decrease sales and jeopardize their job?

[captain7]

E-one, KME. What's the difference

[hfdchiefone]

Hi, my name is Donald Leshko, i am fire chief of the Hazleton Fire Department in Hazleton PA, we are a combination career/volunteer department and are about 15 minutes from KME main plant in Nesqhoning PA, my volunteer department owns 2 KME's John Kovatch is a personal friend of mine and i went right to the source after i read this, here is the email he replyed back to me and asked me to post the following:

John J. Kovatch III, President of KME writes the following

Certainly not in my lifetime. I know my health is good and I intend to be around for quite a while yet. I know my son, John Kovatch IV, who is in his third year of college will be well prepared to assume my responsibilities when I decide to retire in about 15 to 20 years. Kovatch has been in business for 59 years and 308 days. What other major companies can claim this? Never a change in ownership outside of the immediate family. The Kovatch family and KME is here to stay!

If anyone doubts that Mr. Kovatch wrote me this, please write me directly and i will provide it validity to you

Donald Leshko
Fire Chief
Hazleton Fire Department
Hazleton, PA 18201

[hfdchiefone]

Forgot to write in my department in Hazleton we own 3 KME's a 1992 & 2002 Engine and a 1995 102' Aericat Tower

My volunteer company in McAdoo, PA owns a 2003 KME 75' Quint, maybe some of you saw it on the trade show circut in 2003 and a 2006 KME Engine

have a great day

Donald Leshko
Fire Chief
Hazleton Fire Department

[canuck1]

Well, that certainly put an end to that rumor... Its not often you see a rumour squashed so quickly in the fire service! They are usually left to run rampant for at least a month or two.

[Ledebuhr1]

hfdchiefone,

Have your KME's been reliable?

[hfdchiefone]

Ledebuhr1
Thank you for asking that comment, and i will answer in a two part way, has my KME's been reliable, YES, Have i had problem with my KME's, YES, but you tell me any fire truck manufactor in the world today that builds a vehicle and you don't have at least one problem with it, there is NONE, as i said my career department we have three of them, we run on the average about 600 calls a year, close to 35 -40 working fires, and a population of about 33,000, Hazleton has one of the fastest growing 3rd class city populations in the State of PA right now. Our KME's have taken a beaten, and still perform, yes we have had our bugs with them, but most of the problems , a good bit and i went and looked at past repairs tonight in our files have been on items that KME did not make, it was items supplied by vendors, KME installed them on our vehicle, and the items failed, so to me that is not a KME problem. and i can say the same in my volunteer department, now those vehicles don't see the call volume my city vehicles do, but they are holding up great, big issue there is items on the motors that get recalled. KME don't build the motors, and another thing i am not going to hide is that i use to work for KME, from 1995 to 2000, i was a plumber for them on there fire pump line, the only reason i left was got my job as a career firefighter in Hazleton, if i did not get my job in Hazleton i would still be at KME, I can tell you this, there is no one, NO ONE , that is building fire trucks today that will do the plumbing like KME, many people try to copy , and makes me laugh when i see it, but no one can plumb a vehicle like KME, that is truely custom there . and i go to FDIC every year along with Fire Expo in harrisburg, and there are so many people that try to copy again what KME does in plumbing and it is sad, plus the fact that customers are letting there manufactors do it. that is why it is so important to go do a prepaint inspection, when that happens, your vehicle should just be done getting plumbed, make sure you the customer has a say in every aspect of that vehicles, especially panel layout, because it is to late when you are there to take delievery and somthing is wrong, Sorry i got off the point of the question you asked. so yes my KME's are reliable, i am meeting with potential customers this weekend that are coming to McAdoo to look at our KME's , i open this invitation to anyone that reads this post, If you are looking or considering KME, and coming to the Main plant in Nesqhoning for a tour, let me know, if you want to see or view any of my KME's i would be happy to show you them and help anyone any how. it is a big investment in any new fire appartus you purchase, and money is tight today, the best advise i will give you is look at everything for YOURSELF, don't get tunnel vision. Hope that answered your question, i know it was a little long, but somtimes i get carried away

Donald Leshko
Fire CHief
Hazleton Fire Department
Hazleton, PA 18201

[Bones42]

Kovatch has been in business for 59 years and 308 days.

Yes, but how long have they been building fire trucks?

[EXCFDE4]

About 21-22 years I think. It was in the article in Fire Chief, think it said they started in '83 or so.

[NewJerseyFFII]

My department purchased a new Kme Excel " Extreme " series 1500 gpm pumper apparatus from the J.B. Hunt Co of Trenton, N.J. about 8 months ago. The dealer has been very good to us, we had a few small problems that were taken care of very fast. we go on about 300 calls a year in a all VOL. company. The stainless steel construction is top of the line , and only cost $ 275,000 without equipment! KME trucks are getting alot better.

[GFD940]

I too will have to stick up for KME. My dept. has a 98 KME on an International chassis and any problems (which were few) were with the chassis and drivetrain. The body and plumbing has held up great. Four surrounding departments have bought KMEs in the last 3 years and I have not heard any complaints. Any complaints I have heard were from trucks built in the 80's. But I believe that KME, like any reputable manufacturer, learned from these problems and fixed them. Anytime a new innovation comes out (ie. multiplexing) there will be bugs and it will take time to perfect it. I do not believe that any manufacture is immune to such problems. I also believe that KME has an exellent dealer network (at least around here) that will take care of their customers after the sale.

[massffpm60]

we have a kme quint it has failed at every major fire we had sence we got it i would like to hear from all departments that have had problems with there kme