8 Sep 2022

Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, announced its Canada-based dealer, Commercial Emergency Equipment Co., has secured a 10-year contract with the Calgary Fire Department.

This significant contract covers all aerial platforms and ladders in an unlimited, as-needed quantity. The first production aerial apparatus under the contract includes three rear-mounted 100’ Heavy-Duty Steel Aerial Platforms and three Ascendant® 107’ Heavy-Duty Aerial Ladders on tandem rear axles.

Service delivery 

We are excited to establish a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship with Pierce and Commercial Emergency Equipment,” said Nigel Thorley, leader of fleet and equipment with the Calgary Fire Department.

Both companies encapsulate our values of pride, professionalism, teamwork, and respect. We look forward to the quality of the new fire apparatus and know these assets will be key elements in our service delivery in all operations for many years.”

Features 

The department’s new aerial fire apparatus will feature:

  • Enforcer™ chassis
  • A truck company configuration (no pump, no tank)
  • Cummins X12 525 hp engines
  • TAK-4® Independent Suspension
  • Low profile, high-output combination scene lighting
  • Forward-facing seat configuration in crew cab

Specification work

The specification ensures streamlined interoperability, enhanced safety features, and reduced training time"

An incredible amount of work went into the specification for all units to be standardized across this contract to ensure streamlined interoperability, enhanced safety features, and reduced training time for the department,” said Mike Feduniw, apparatus specialist with Commercial Emergency Equipment Co.

With standardization down to the exact location of every switch and tool location in a cabinet set for all trucks, Calgary Fire Department’s first responders can jump in any of these fire apparatus and know operational functions and equipment are in the exact same location on all fire apparatus, without the need for extra training or familiarization. Locking in the specification work upfront makes ordering another fire truck an exceptionally simple process.

Calgary Fire Department

The Calgary Fire Department has four platoons of firefighters with 1,326 front-line first responders located among 42 fire stations, responding to over 70,000 service calls annually. In 2020, the department experienced a 16-percent increase in call volume within its 850 square kilometers (327 square miles) coverage area with 1.4 million citizens.

The metropolitan city is made up of diverse communities with skyscrapers, the Bow River Valley, and the Canadian Rockies. The fire apparatus contract between Commercial Emergency Equipment Co. and the Calgary Fire Department will reinforce the strength of emergency response for the city’s growing population and infrastructure.

10-year contract

Feduniw added, “Our team is extremely proud to have been selected for a 10-year contract, and we are eager to partner with The City of Calgary for their aerial replacements over the years to come."

"We are excited to be working with such a professional group and look forward to providing the Calgary Fire Department with a level of quality and service we believe is unmatched in the industry.”