| Pierce builds custom fire & emergency vehicles to fulfill the situational awareness needs of departments |
Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, delivered a matching pair of custom Pierce® Arrow XT™ pumpers to the Milwaukee Fire Department in Wisconsin, making the firefighting fleet of the state’s largest fire department all-Pierce. The city of Madison Fire Department (second largest in the state) has been a 100% Pierce fleet for several years. Their most recent delivery was a Pierce Quantum® aerial platform in December 2014.
“Milwaukee and Madison comprise the largest metropolitan areas in Wisconsin and we’re thrilled to have Pierce apparatus in every one of their fire stations,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. “Pierce builds custom fire and emergency vehicles to fulfill the situational awareness needs of departments – including the diverse requirements of these two noteworthy firefighting forces.”
The Milwaukee Fire Department’s apparatus fleet includes a total of 45 Pierce pumpers, 21 Pierce aerial ladders, two Pierce aerial platforms, and four Pierce Heavy-Duty Rescues (including one to be delivered in Summer 2015). Operating 36 fire stations, the Milwaukee Fire Department provides fire protection, advanced life support, fire prevention and community outreach services to the city of Milwaukee and the village of West Milwaukee. Its protection responsibility includes 96.5 square miles and a population of over 560,000, with a large lakefront area, high-rise downtown structures, suburban regions, and light and heavy industrial areas.
“We like the quality and workmanship Pierce delivers year after year. With the assistance of Scott Krueger and Reliant Fire Apparatus, we have continued to bring the best apparatus possible to our firefighters,” explained Battalion Chief Dale Schwark of the Milwaukee Fire Department Division of Construction and Maintenance. “We have been able to make the changes to update our apparatus with new technologies like TAK-4 suspension for a smoother ride, enhanced braking ability and sharper cornering. Pierce has our back.”
The city of Madison Fire Department began purchasing Pierce apparatus in 1997. It operates 13 fire stations and features a fleet of 14 pumpers, seven aerial ladders, and two rescue vehicles. All are built on the Pierce Quantum chassis (with the exception of one rescue built on a Pierce Saber® chassis). The department’s newest apparatus is a Pierce Quantum 100-foot aerial platform – the first aerial platform for the city. The department serves a population of more than 250,000 and responds to close to 26,000 service calls each year. Among its protection services are specialized lake rescue, urban rescue, HAZMAT and EMS response teams, as well as community education and fire prevention initiatives.
“We purchased our first Pierce in 1997, and quality is the main reason we keep renewing a five- year apparatus replacement contract with Pierce – we just don’t experience quality issues we’ve had on other brands we’ve owned in the past,” said Fire Chief Steven Davis of the Madison Fire Department. “Our firefighters really like the overall design and built-in safety features that, for example, allow them to easily exit and enter the cab away from traffic on busy highways.”
Reliant Fire Apparatus, Inc. of Slinger, Wisconsin, led by Scott Krueger, is the exclusive Pierce sales organization in Southern Wisconsin and Iowa.