APPLETON, Wis. (October 15, 2009) - Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) company, today participated in a cab-raising event with the Chicago Fire Department to benefit the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. A custom designed, child-friendly Pierce fire truck cab was lifted 213 feet, by crane, onto the 12th floor of the hospital, which is currently under construction on the campus of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Pierce created and donated the handicapped-accessible fire truck cab to provide interactive fire safety education and entertainment for children in the hospital.
“Pierce Manufacturing has donated this full size cab because of the powerful connection between children and fire trucks. It’s as simple as that,” said Robert Bohn, Oshkosh Corporation chairman and chief executive officer. “When Lurie Children’s opens, we’re confident that this cab will be one of the busiest and hardest working vehicles we’ve ever produced.”
The Pierce fire truck cab raising took place at an event celebrating the partnership among Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, the Chicago Fire Department, and corporate leaders including Pierce Manufacturing and its parent company, Oshkosh Corporation, in caring for Chicago’s most critically ill and injured children. Speakers at the celebration, hosted by Chicago Fire Department - Engine 98, included Chicago Fire Commissioner John W. Brooks; Children’s Memorial Foundation President Tom Sullivan; Oshkosh Corporation’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Bohn; and 9-year-old Grace Bracken, who, earlier this year, was saved by the Chicago Fire Department and Children’s Memorial Hospital after suffering a sudden stroke.
Lurie Children’s will open in the summer of 2012, and the Pierce fire truck cab is the first custom-designed feature to be included in its unique interior design that will celebrate Chicago’s vibrant history and culture. The hospital is partnering with 20 of the city’s top civic and cultural organizations to help create healing environments and opportunities for education and exploration for patients throughout the hospital.
The Chicago Fire Department was also honored for its role as first responders for Chicago’s children. “It’s a great thing that kids will be using this display to explore the world of firefighting and feel a bit closer to the men and women who have made it a career to keep our kids safe from fire and many other perils,” said Commissioner Brooks.
Lurie Children’s is located at 225 East Chicago Avenue and connected by a bridge to Prentice Women’s Hospital. The 23-story facility will feature 288 beds in all-private rooms, increased space for clinical research and trauma care, and the capability to accommodate the newest advances in technology and equipment.
“With Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, we have the opportunity to create a hospital that enhances collaborations with our clinical and academic partners in a facility that embodies our philosophy of family-centered care. We are grateful to Pierce Manufacturing for this magnificent gift to Lurie Children’s and the children of Chicago,” said Tom Sullivan, President of Children’s Memorial Foundation.
Photo caption: Pierce Manufacturing Inc. created and donated this handicapped-accessible fire truck cab to provide interactive entertainment for children in the hospital.
About Pierce Manufacturing
Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, is the leading North American manufacturer of custom fire apparatus. Products include custom and commercial pumpers, aerials, rescue trucks, wildland trucks, minipumpers, elliptical tankers, and homeland security apparatus. In addition, Pierce designs its own foam systems and was the first company to introduce frontal airbags and the Side Roll Protection system to fire apparatus.
To learn more about Pierce visit www.piercemfg.com.
About Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Corporation is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corporation manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Medtec®, Jerr-Dan®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline™, SMIT™, CON-E-CO®, London® and IMT®. The Oshkosh brands are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are paramount. For more information, log on to www.oshkoshcorporation.com.
®, ™ All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains statements that the Company believes to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “project” or “plan” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include the consequences of financial leverage associated with the JLG acquisition, including the level of the Company’s borrowing costs, the increased interest rates the Company would face if it experienced a deterioration or downgrade in credit agency ratings and the Company’s ability to maintain compliance with its financial covenants under its credit agreement; the cyclical nature of the Company’s access equipment, commercial and fire & emergency markets, especially during a global recession and credit crisis; the duration of the global recession, which could lead to additional impairment charges related to many of the Company’s intangible assets; risks related to the required increase in the rate of production for the M-ATV and FMTV contracts, and the amount, if any, of additional orders for M-ATVs and/or FMTVs that the Company may receive; the outcome of the formal protests of the FMTV award to the Company: the expected level and timing of U.S. Department of Defense procurement of products and services and funding thereof; risks related to reductions in government expenditures and the uncertainty of government contracts; risks related to production delays as a result of the economy’s impact on the Company’s suppliers; the potential for commodity costs to rise sharply in a future economic recovery; risks associated with international operations and sales, including foreign currency fluctuations; risks related to the collectibility of receivables during a recession, particularly for those businesses with exposure to construction markets; and the potential for increased costs relating to compliance with changes in laws and regulations. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any duty, to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
