| The four Pierce Aerial Tiller vehicles will be placed into service in spring 2013 |
Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation company, received an order for four Pierce Aerial Tiller vehicles from the San Jose Fire Department located in San Jose, Calif. Built on the Arrow XT chassis, these are the San Jose fire department’s first Pierce aerial tiller vehicles, and all four will be placed into service in spring 2013.
“Because our fire department recently moved from a two-piece truck company to a single-piece truck company configuration, our apparatus have to be able to carry much more equipment,” said Joseph Crivello, battalion chief for the San Jose Fire Department. “That’s a significant positive aspect of these Pierce tiller trucks: they will meet our requirement for a large amount of equipment storage while keeping a shorter overall length. These four new Pierce tiller trucks will have a tremendous impact on our fire and emergency response capabilities.”
“We are pleased and gratified to earn this four aerial tiller vehicle order from such a high profile and highly-respected fire department,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. “Fire departments are striving to be even more productive, and we’re delighted that San Jose chose Pierce to meet the growing challenges it faces.”
The Aerial Tiller vehicles are built on the Pierce Arrow XT chassis with a raised roof cab, seating for five firefighters, and integrated frontal impact and side roll protection systems. Each vehicle features a 100-foot aerial ladder, TAK-4 independent suspension on both the front axle and the 5th wheel trailer, and an overall length of just 57-feet and five inches to meet fire stations’ apparatus bay requirements.
“We have many highly congested areas with narrow streets, and the maneuverability of these Pierce tractor drawn apparatus will enable us to go places other trucks simply can’t go,” added Chief Crivello. “The bottom line is better service to the citizens and visitors within our protection area.”
San Jose is the largest city within Silicon Valley, the third largest city in California, and the tenth largest in the U.S. The San Jose Fire Department’s protection district encompasses a little over 200 square miles, and includes the city of San Jose and many areas of unincorporated Santa Clara County.
Pierce dealer, Golden State Fire Apparatus, and regional service provider, Burton's Fire, Inc. of Modesto, Calif., provide local support.