HOLDEN, LA—Ferrara, a subsidiary of REV Group and a manufacturer of fire apparatus, will debut the Skippack (PA) Fire Company’s 107-foot MVP Rescue Ladder at FDIC International in Indianapolis, IN, April 11^th-13^th, 2019.

The new 107-foot Rescue Ladder is the first aerial over 100’ on Ferrara’s custom MVP cab and body. Ferrara’s MVP concept is known for the low mounted speedlays and customized equipment mounting with over 250 cu.ft. of storage capacity. “Incorporating the MVP concept with Ferrara’s 4-section 107 ladder provides departments with all of the tools they need to handle the diverse tasks fire departments face today,” says Bert McCutcheon, VP/ General Manager for Ferrara Fire Apparatus.

Features of the 107-foot MVP Aerial (HD-107R MVP) include:

• Ferrra’s Inferno™ custom chassis and MVP™ style XMFD cab
• Cummins^® X15 565/Allison^® 4000 EVS transmission
• CAP+ airbag protection
• Low speedlays at frame rail height
• 500-gallon polypropylene water tank
• Hale^® Q-Max-XS 2000 GPM pump
• 107-foot vertical /100-foot horizontal reach
• Industry leading 2.5 to 1 structural safety factor
• 750 pound dry tip load and 500 pound tip flowing 1500 GPM
• Storefront blitz monitor
• Narrow 14-foot jack leg spread
• Over 250 cubic feet of body storage
• Hose storage capacity: 300’ x 3” left rear, 300’ x 3” ladder tunnel, 1000’ x 5” EZ-Stack

“We needed a ladder to replace our engine and be similar to the pumper we already have to minimize new training. The other big thing we needed was a ladder with a side hose bed so that we could lay large diameter hose without lifting the ladder,” said Chief Haydn Marriot of Skippack Fire Co. “The longer ladder allows us to reach setback buildings in our community and the 14 foot jack spread makes it easier to set up in those situations.”

For more info on this rig or for photos please visit https://www.ferrarafire.com/trucks/6241/.

NESQUEHONING, PA— KME Fire Apparatus, an industry-leading manufacturer of fire apparatus announces the launch of the new extreme-duty cab, the Severe Service ST^™ at FDIC International 2019, April 11-13, at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN in the REV Fire Group booth #4100. The new Severe Service ST^™ was specifically designed for departments who want the strength and durability of a stainless steel cab design as well as the ease of use in tight environments.

The Severe Service ST^™ was built with compact areas in mind. The main feature is that the cab can be tilted inside almost any fire station for access to the engine. The 96” cab width makes this an ideal choice for urban environments, yet still provides ample space for the driver and officer with a specially designed engine enclosure to maximize spacing at the elbow, hip and knee areas. This new cab design also extends the crew area, making it possible to house a command unit.

The benefits of the new Severe Service ST^™ include:

• Stainless Steel Design: Stainless Steel provides durability and strength.
• Split Tilt: The split tilt design makes it easy and practical to tilt the cab inside the station. 
• Stationary Rear Cab: This design makes it possible to house a command center in the cab where desks and computer stations will not tilt. 

“The Severe Service ST cab allows KME to offer a spacious, extended length cab utilizing stainless steel material and is another unique design in our cab family,” states Pete Hoherchak, Product Manager at KME.

For more information, visit www.kmefire.com.

Bellingham, WA – Emergency Reporting® (ER), a leader in cloud-based Fire and EMS records management software, was featured this week in a blog post published by Microsoft. The interview-based article summarizes a discussion between Chief Andrew Olesen of Cedar Rapids Fire Department and Microsoft. You can view the complete post here: https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/industry-blog/government/2019/04/10/cedar-rapids-firedepartment-how-data-analysis-helps-their-citizens/ 

In the interview, Chief Olesen describes why his agency switched to Emergency Reporting Records Management System (RMS) and how his department uses it to track and analyze important fire incident and patient care data. The blog post highlights Cedar Rapids Fire Department’s innovative use of Microsoft Power BI to create visually impactful dashboards using their data from ER.  

By leveraging both of these platforms, Chief Olesen has been able to provide real-time information and business intelligence that has been instrumental for decision makers in his community. 

The ability to collect and analyze accurate data has long been a need for the fire service, but modern tools and integrations are making that easier than ever before. When Chief Olesen was asked what challenges led his agency to switch to ER, he stated: 

“We’ve always been a data-driven organization, but the data collected wasn’t always at the level we would have liked due to the legacy reporting system we had used for the past 15 years or so. The system was hosted on-premises and needed to be installed and maintained on each machine. We had a limited number of users who could be on the system at the same time. We had an issue with data quality and integrity and spent a lot of time doing QA to ensure it was accurate. We were the complete opposite of cloud-based. 

“We needed a stronger Records Management System (RMS) that would also enable us to share data and analysis across organizations, with the City Council and other agencies, as well as with the public. We want the community to be able to track what’s going on in their neighborhoods and engage with the fire department.” 

The blog post also discusses the importance of using information from your RMS to justify your services and make data-driven decisions, now and for the future “The City Council constantly wants us to talk about why and how we do things and make reportable, data-driven decisions. It is an integral responsibility of government to communicate to the public how they run operations and leverage technology to be more effective. Leveraging Emergency Reporting and Microsoft Power BI, we’re planning to develop a customer facing dashboard next. Our time, incident, and medical data is now really tight, and we want to be able to share that,” stated Chief Olesen. 

“Emergency Reporting is excited to announce the kickoff of a new project that will empower our 6,500+ fire departments with a powerful data visualization tool,” said David Nokes, Chief Executive Officer of Emergency Reporting. “In collaboration with both Microsoft and several key beta customers, we are excited to show how your data can be utilized in Microsoft Power BI.  This is a great step forward in our ongoing relationship with Microsoft Public Safety and the municipalities we proudly serve.”  

To learn more about Emergency Reporting, or how ER data can be imported to Power BI, please visit https://explore.emergencyreporting.com/information-request-form/ to contact our sales

NESQUEHONING, PA—KME Fire Apparatus, a subsidiary of REV Group and a manufacturer of fire apparatus, is proud to announce the launch of the new KME AerialCat™ midmount platform at FDIC International 2019. The new midmount AerialCat™ is now available with an 84’ and 102’ platform. These two replace the existing line up of 81’, 95’ and 100’ midmount platforms, with a longer horizontal and vertical reach and a shortened overall length.

The 102’ midmount AerialCat™ platform has a 2’ rated increased vertical height to 102’ and a 3’ horizontal increased horizontal reach height to 94’. The apparatus’s overall length is decreased by 2’; using an MFD cab a 46’ OAL is achievable. The 84’ midmount platform rated vertical height is increased by 3’ to 84’ and the horizontal reach is extended 4’ to 77’. The vehicle overall length of the 84’ MM platform is just 43’.

Additional benefits of the new 102’ and 84' AerialCat™ midmount platform design include:

• 2.5:1 Structural Safety Factor
• State of The Art Motion Control System
• Dual Integral Parapet Ladders in Platform Structure
• 2,000-gpm Waterway Rating
• 3/16” Aluminum Body
• Full Height Full Depth Compartments
• Larger, Fully Enclosed Ground Ladder Storage
• One-Piece Torquebox
• Deep Penetrating Outriggers
• Two Available Travel Heights:126” & 132”
• Shortened Rear Body Overhang by 10”
• Features a Straight Shot Hose Bed with Access Doors

“This new design brings our midmount platform products in line with our current rear-mount platform design. It allows KME to offer design benefits of better reach, better flow capacity, higher structural safety factor, lower maintenance, and increased compartmentation designed in the AerialCat™ family., said Pete Hoherchak, KME Product Manager.”  

For more information, visit www.kmefire.com.

REV Group, Inc, a Milwaukee-based manufacturer of specialty vehicle brands, along with Road America, have teamed up to pay tribute to first responders at the inaugural NTT IndyCar series REV Group Grand Prix June 20-23, 2019.

“We got involved in racing about three years ago with Team Penske when we were taking the company public,” says Tim Sullivan, president, and CEO of REV Group. “We looked at where all of our vehicles congregate in one spot—it’s a race track. Everything we do finds its way to a race track.” Sullivan says he was talking to George Bruggenthies, an old friend and recently retired president of Road America, who asked if REV would sponsor an IndyCar series for the next three years to take place in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. “We started talking about it, and he told me that on any given day there are 200 first responders around the track. We said if we sponsored it, we would make it a tribute to first responders. I said if we’re going to do it, I want to do it right. I want to make sure all first responders get in for free all weekend. It’s really a tribute to them.”

As part of the tribute, all active-duty first responders will receive free entry to the REV Group Grand Prix during the entire weekend of activities including the NTT IndyCar feature race. Additionally, REV Group and Road America have planned a unique race experience to honor the men and women who answer the call to protect and serve our communities. First responders, including law enforcement, fire, paramedics, and EMTs, will be admitted free of charge by showing valid identification indicating active service Thursday, June 20 through Sunday, June 23. Free admission must be redeemed at the gate and is only valid during the event weekend.

Fire and ambulance vehicles from REV’s E-ONE, KME, Horton, AEV, and Wheeled Coach brands will be on display, allowing race fans to get a close look at some of the vehicles that equip the nation’s first responders. “We are honored to have the REV Group Grand Prix as a platform to recognize first responders. The employees of REV wanted to share our appreciation for the dedicated people who use our vehicles each day to serve their communities,” says Sullivan.

The NTT IndyCar Series (NICS) will take center stage at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI, June 20 to 23, where an international lineup of drivers will compete on one of the world’s most revered road courses. NICS Championship driver, Josef Newgarden, will return to defend his 2018 Road America win in a REV-branded Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet. “Safety is paramount at our track and in this sport, and the fire and medical team are critically important. Our award-winning Road America Safety Team, which is entirely first responders, have saved many lives over the years, and we are thrilled that the REV Group Grand Prix gives us the opportunity to recognize all first responders on and off the track,” says Mike Kertscher, Road America’s president and general manager. 

Sullivan explains that getting involved with the race is about being part of the industry. “My grandfather was a fire chief for 30 years. My father was a firefighter. My uncle just retired as a captain,” he says. “It’s more than just providing vehicles. It’s being part of the industry. It’s being connected with firefighters and EMTs. It’s above and beyond vehicles. We want to be part of the industry. You can’t be part of the industry unless you really embrace the people who are part of the industry. It’s beyond vehicles for us. It’s something we want to be deeply involved in. It goes back to my personal roots, but it is also the right thing to do: t