WATERBORO, ME/April 25, 2022 – Howe & Howe, Inc., a subsidiary of Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announced today that it will participate in FDIC International 2022 with its Thermite® firefighting robot family and the brand-new SWAT-BOT™, mobile ballistic shield all terrain robot. The company will be located in booth 5061 at the conference, which will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana from April 25-30.

Howe & Howe’s Thermite family of firefighting robots, including the RS1, RS3 and all-electric EV2, are designed to mitigate life-threatening situations by providing fire suppression, situational awareness and intelligence gathering to first responders. Operated by remote belly-pack and handheld controllers, Thermite traverses hazardous terrain and pushes obstacles from its path. It can endure extreme elements, keeping the user at a safe distance while receiving real-time video feed. The company also will showcase its latest product innovation.

“We will unveil our all-electric SWAT-BOT RS1 and RS2,” said Mike Howe, President of Howe & Howe. “This mobile, remotely operated SWAT shield utilizes the same chassis as our Thermite products. Our goal is to provide the most advanced technology, while ensuring the safety of our customers, and to define, create and conquer the ground robotics industry.”

In 2012, Howe & Howe created the first SWAT-BOT, a remotely operated robotic ballistic shield engineered for first responders. Developed with the Massachusetts State Police and Southern Maine Special Response Team (SRT), the robot provides effective defensive and offensive capabilities in a variety of tactical scenarios including active shooter, hostage, vehicle immobilization and breaching/entry. After refining the product’s original design, SWAT-BOT is now an all-electric platform with a near silent approach for added mission capabilities.

SWAT-BOT is designed to protect a team of officers rather than each individual relying on a personal ballistic shield; it provides full body coverage versus torso only coverage. This also allows team members to engage both hands during their mission without having to carry a shield.

ABOUT HOWE & HOWE

Howe & Howe is a leader in advanced robotic land vehicles, built and proven for extreme conditions. With a portfolio that includes leading advanced robotic land vehicles, such as the RIPSAW® M5 and the Thermite robotic firefighter, the company is ready and able to support customers wherever they need it most.

ABOUT TEXTRON SYSTEMS

Textron Systems is a world leader in unmanned air, surface and land products, services and support for aerospace and defense customers. Harnessing agility and a broad base of expertise, Textron Systems’ innovative businesses design, manufacture, field and support comprehensive solutions that expand customer capabilities and deliver value. For more information, visit www.textronsystems.com.

ABOUT TEXTRON INC.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from

Ready Rack has been committed to providing high-quality turnout storage care systems and accessories to support the fire service since 1980. Two years ago, Pacific Helmets NZ Ltd partnered with the Ready Rack team to bring their F18, F15, F6, and R5SL to the United States Firefighting industry. Due to these four helmets proving to be popular within the structural and wildland firefighting spaces, Ready Rack and Pacific Helmets have decided to expand the product line!

Ready Rack will be introducing seven helmet models from Pacific Helmets made for structural, wildland, to rescue firefighting to the product line for distribution. These helmets are the F11, R3v4 Kiwi, R6 Challenger, R6L Patroller, R6V Dominator, and R6V MKII Seeker. Read more about each helmet’s features below:

F11:

The F11 Dragonfly is a compact fire helmet with detachable external face shield, internal eye protector, and earmuff bracket. It is ideal for work in confined spaces, under chemical suits or in naturally hot environments.

R6 Challenger:

The R6 Challenger is the leader in Pacific’s flagship R6 rescue helmet series. As a truly multi-purpose helmet, the Challenger is fully certified to the widest range of rescue helmet standards of any helmet in the world. The R6 Challenger is the non-vented version of the compact R6s, perfect for use in Technical Rescue, Bush/Wildland Fires, or when no vent on the helmet shell is preferred.

R3v4 Kiwi:

The R3v4 Kiwi has a well proven pedigree as the go-to helmet for many USAR teams across the USA. The R3v4 features a fiberglass reinforced shell reinforced with DuPont^TM Kevlar® and full cranium impact liner, essentially making it a compact version of a full structural firefighting helmet. It offers the ultimate level of safety in all possible situations.

R6L Patroller:

The R6L Patroller is a lightweight helmet which can be configured for a wide range of uses from Industrial to Wildland Firefighting. With its military styling, the Patroller has been designed to accommodate tactical Picatinny Rails and VAS shroud for attaching extra equipment such as cameras, earmuffs, torch, night vision goggles, and face protection.

It has a larger shell than the other R6 Series helmets, which also makes it a great choice for larger head sizes due to the increased internal space.

R6V Dominator:

If you’re looking for a lightweight vented helmet, choose the R6V Dominator. The Dominator features our Dynamic Sealed Ventilation System (DSVSTM) which is watertight when closed. This helmet also has a mesh face shield available. The Dominator can carry multiple accessories to create a helmet to your requirements and is suitable for mountaineering, Forestry, USAR, paramedic, rescue, and industrial uses.

R6V MKII Seeker:

The R6V MKII Seeker is a departure from the traditional configuration of rescue and bushfire helmets that Pacific make. The Seeker has a fiberglass reinforced composite shell with a single-piece form-molded polyethylene (PE) liner. The Seeker continues the Pacific tradition of creating versatile helmets that also serve as a platform for multiple accessories, with features such as attachable ear covers, torch base, Pacific’s new rubber goggle straps, and the ability to attach a range of helmet mounted communication units.

Ready Rack by Groves Incorporated is proud to serve the heroes of the firefighting community and will continue to innovate with adding more products to our line. We work to improve the health and lifestyle of our firefighters while keeping them safe to fight another day. Ready Rack will be at FDIC 2022 with 2 Senior Product Specialists from Pacific Helmets NZ, Ltd. Stop by our booth to learn more about these exciting additions!

Learn more about Ready Rack and Pacif

CoxreelsV-100 Series product line has been improved and expanded! Introducing the new 1 ¼” vacuum hose reel V-112-735 without hose and the V-112H-735 with hose. The new model is a smaller frame size featuring 12” diameter discs instead of the original 17” diameter discs and is designed for use with 35’ of 1 ¼” vacuum hose. The outlet connecting to the hose remains 1 ½” and our 1 ¼” hose comes equipped with 1 ½” slip cuffs on both ends for maximum flow.

In addition to the new models, the swivel has been improved on the entire product line. The new swivel design still allows for the connection of multiple hose sizes by using the inside and the outside of the housing, but a greater gradual taper has increased the amount of compatible inlet hose cuffs. This remains important because retail shop vacuums are coming with larger and larger hoses, some as big as 2.5”. The swivel also includes hidden improvements via an enhanced O-ring sealing system for greater vacuum consistency and performance.

The hose has a super flexible “crush-proof” smooth interior hose suitable for commercial cleaning applications and is equipped with standard 1.5” threaded hose cuffs on both hose sizes.

Coxreels® has remained steadfast and focused on manufacturing high quality professional grade hose, cord, and cable reels since 1923. Offering a full product line serving the industry in every channel and application, Coxreels® takes great pride in designing, building, and supporting all of their products right here in the U.S.A. For further information on Coxreels® new options for the V-100 Series, contact Customer Service at (800) 269-7335 or visit www.coxreels.com.

By Alan M. Petrillo

San Marcos is a city of about 70,000 that includes Texas State University with about 37,000 students. The city is situated on the edge of Texas hill country on its west side, split from the coastal plains on the east by Interstate-35. San Marcos Fire Department has 95 paid firefighters and commissioned staff operating out of six stations with four engines and two aerial quints.

When San Marcos decided to replace one of its quints, it chose to purchase a 105-foot tractor-drawn aerial (TDA) quint from Spartan ER-LTI. “The new truck is located at Station 5,” says John Koenig, San Marcos battalion chief. “In that area the streets are narrower and the buildings are taller, so it’s easier to get around with a TDA, which affords us more opportunity to set up on corners and increase our scrub area.”

Koenig says the truck committee examined three TDA brands and had the opportunity to drive two of them, before settling on the Spartan ER-LTI rig. “We chose Spartan ER-LTI because of the vehicle’s configuration, and because of our dealer, Metro Fire Apparatus out of Houston, which has given us very good service,” Koenig points out. “We also had direct contact with our dealer, Spartan ER, and their engineer, and found them all very easy to work with. They listened well and offered solutions for us. We’re very pleased with them and the process.”

Randy Hummer, Spartan ER aerial account manager, says the San Marcos TDA quint is powered by a 565-horsepower (hp) Cummins X 15 diesel engine, and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission with a retarder, and has an Advanced Occupant Protection system. The tractor’s front axle has an air ride independent front suspension with a 24,000-pound rating, the tractor’s drive axle has a Ridewell RAD 241 air ride with a 32,500-pound rating, and the tiller axle has a Ridewell air ride with a 23,000-pound rating. Tractor wheelbase is 189 inches, trailer wheelbase is 346 inches, overall length is 62 feet 3 inches, and overall height is 11 feet 9 inches.