Brandon, S.D., May 5, 2010 – The city of Buffalo has signed a multi-year contract to purchase as four new fire trucks from Crimson Fire, Inc.
The Brandon, S.D.-based manufacturer of custom fire trucks and other rescue vehicles said that it has already begun work to build two new custom pumpers and one aerial for Buffalo, which is the second largest city in New York state. One aerial demonstrator was purchased to fill an immediate need to provide necessary service to the community.
Crimson has also begun working designing a 93-foot mid-mount aerial for Buffalo. This is a new product model for Crimson Fire developed specifically to meet the needs of the Buffalo Fire Department, which serves the needs of nearly 300,000 residents. The contract could be extended for up to four additional one-year periods.
"Thanks to the effort of the leadership of the Buffalo Fire Department, working in concert with city's purchasing department, we'll add four new important fire trucks to the city's firefighting capabilities and we'll have the option to add additional vehicles under this contract with Crimson Fire," said Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown. "Since taking office, my administration has worked diligently to upgrade all facets of the Buffalo Fire Department's firefighting efforts through upgraded technology and state-of-the-art equipment. I'm pleased that our city personnel chose what they believe is excellent equipment for the department."
Buffalo currently has 19 fire houses throughout the city, running 19 pumpers, nine aerials and three specialized rescue vehicles. The new apparatus will expand Buffalo's current fleet. Fire Equipment Sales and Service, Inc. in Westfield is handling the sale.
"We are very pleased to be working with the City of Buffalo to provide them rugged, customized trucks that will be dependable – no matter how harsh the weather gets," said Jim Salmi, president of Crimson Fire Aerials. "As a custom manufacturer, we are able to design our products to solve department-specific issues. A good example of this is the 93-foot mid-mount aerial we engineered for Buffalo in order to meet some specific maneuverability issues without sacrificing performance.
The new apparatus for Buffalo include:
- A specially designed 93-foot mid-mount aerial, a Crimson Star series build on a Spartan Gladiator® cab and chassis. Featuring a 304 stainless steel body, the low-profile aerial design removes 28 inches from the tail end of the truck, making it more maneuverable. The aerial will feature Crimson's unique tubular design that allows it to build the strongest and most durable trucks on the market. It will also feature an innovative new ladder lifting cradle system and dual swing ladder drives, allowing firefighters to operate 10 degrees below grade. As with all of CFA's aerial products, the new vehicle features the industry's only "greaseless" ladder, patent-pending X-style outriggers and an exclusive roller assembly system.
- A 103-foot rear-mount aerial, the longest available in the Crimson product suite, built on a Spartan MFD Gladiator cab and chassis. Designed with many of the same specifications as the 93-foot version, this aerial also features expanded storage space, maintenance-friendly jack cylinder repair and replacement and convenient torque box ladder storage.
- Custom pumpers, again featuring the Spartan MFD Gladiator cab and chassis with Crimson Star series bodies of series 304 stainless steel. The pumpers will feature 1,750 gpm pumps, 750-gallon water tanks and injection foam systems. Crimson also offers a low hose-bed design to simplify storage, all LED lighting and expanded storage space.
About Crimson Fire
Crimson Fire, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of custom fire trucks and other rescue vehicles. A subsidiary of Spartan Motors, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPAR), Crimson Fire is committed to quality, value and innovation. Drawing on more than 130 years of excellence in fire truck manufacturing, Crimson Fire manufactures a full line of pumpers, rescues, aerials, quick-attack vehicles and other emergency-rescue vehicles from its facilities in Pennsylvania and South Dakota. For more information, visit www.crimson-fire.com.
