Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) company, announced today it has added RollTek’s Side Roll Protection System as an option in Freightliner commercial chassis. The integration of the RollTek system in the Freightliner commercial chassis is exclusively available in Pierce fire apparatus. The safety feature was first incorporated into specifications for a recent order placed by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management consisting of 14 Type 3 Interface wildland fire trucks and 25 Type 3 and 4 wildland fire engines.

“We have seen an increase in commercial products in various types of fire apparatus fleets, driven by cost, lead time, and chassis preference,” said Jim Johnson, president of Pierce Manufacturing. “Fire apparatus operators must navigate everything from demanding terrain to narrow rural roads, and rollovers are a significant threat, particularly in tanker products. Becoming the only provider of the RollTek system in Freightliner commercial chassis for fire apparatus is one more step in Pierce’s ongoing mission to help protect firefighters by continuing to enhance and improve fire truck safety systems.”

Extreme environmental factors and weather conditions have contributed to the recent uptick in fire activity, increasing truck rollover incidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the United States Fire Administration (USFA), fire truck accidents are the second leading cause of death for firefighters on the job, and rollovers account for more than 66% of fire truck accidents each year. RollTek side roll protection systems help protect fire truck occupants by allowing for side roll air curtains to be fully integrated into the seating system rather than deploying from the wall in a crash or rollover event.

Elden Alexander is the national fire equipment program manager with the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. He and his team have seen what was previously a summer “fire season” turn into a “fire year” with active fires in all regions of the United States. These circumstances have increased the need for highly mobile firefighting forces throughout the country. As a Federal centralized fire equipment program, the advancement in RollTek safety technology will benefit not only the Department of Interior fire programs but well beyond.

“While firefighter safety is at the forefront of everything we do, it is inherently a dangerous job,” said Alexander. “On a single fire dispatch, we can respond 100 miles on the highway, traverse steep mountain roads, and then transition to using equipment off-road while suppressing fire. The addition of the RollTek side roll protection system is a remarkable advancement in firefighter safety and assures us that we are helping to ensure every firefighter returns home safely.”

Pierce’s decision to offer the RollTek side roll protection system as an option exclusively offered in its Freightliner commercial chassis was initiated by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, when purchase coordinators incorporated the feature into the specifications for recent orders. Pierce worked with IMMI and the Center for Advanced Product Evaluation to develop a program to test and certify the RollTek system and the cab structural integrity of the Freightliner cab. This application was the first in the commercial market for multiple cab configurations.

“Vehicle safety technology has advanced to a point where it became possible to push side roll protection features from light trucks and custom cab fire vehicles into the commercial-chassis market, which has resulted in the development of a reliable, comfortable, and affordable solution for the whole vehicle,” said RJ Johnson the national fire engine production manager with the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land

REV Group, Inc., the leading designer and manufacturer of specialty vehicles including emergency vehicles, announces its extended agreement with ZeroRPM Inc., to exclusively integrate and distribute their patented Idle Mitigation Systems® to the ambulance market, until 2024. All REV Ambulance Group brands, including AEV, Horton, Wheeled Coach, Road Rescue and Leader offer the innovative and exclusive ZeroRPM technology as an option in their vehicles. 

ZeroRPM’s Idle Mitigation Systems help reduce the negative impact extended idling has on the environment, personal health, and vehicle operating costs. The system automatically starts and stops the ambulance engine to decrease fuel consumption, pollution, and maintenance costs.  This technology allows complete use of the ambulance’s critical functions as if the engine were still on and the crews continue to have access to the vehicle’s A/C, heat, windows, lighting, accessories, vital equipment and more. A recent review of REV ambulances* equipped with the ZeroRPM Idle Mitigation System demonstrated the following benefits, on average:

• 75% reduction in engine idle times
• 1,634 fewer engine hours per year, which means less wear and tear
• A savings of 7,620 gallons of fuel over 5 years
• A reduction of 85 tons of CO₂ over 5 years

“Through our partnership with ZeroRPM, our ambulances become hybrid when parked and idling, using electricity instead of fuel to power the vehicle,” said Anoop Prakash, President, REV Ambulance Group.  “Most ambulances spend many hours a day idling at the scenes of an incident, or waiting for a call, and our solution serves our customers by reducing engine wear, fuel consumption and emissions.  We are excited to extend our partnership and advance our technical integration to benefit EMS crews, ambulance fleet owners and our environment.”    

“Together, with the brands of REV Ambulance Group, we have tremendous reach in the market which amplifies our ability to make a positive impact on the EMS community and keep our brand promise to end idling,” said Lance Self, CEO, ZeroRPM.

*Data provided by ZeroRPM Intellimetrics database.

Find out more:  www.zerorpm.com; www.revgroup.com

Sutphen—Ashland (OH) Fire Department rescue-pumper. Monarch cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax-XS 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 1,000-gallon water tank; 20- and 30-gallon foam cells; Hale Smart Foam 3.3 dual-agent foam system; Will-Burt Night Scan LED NS 2.3-500 light tower; Onspot tire chains; enclosed pump panel. Dealer: Andy Herb, Herb Fire Equipment, Powell, OH.

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According to a recent report there’s concern that Cleveland’s fire fleet is in such disrepair that it’s affecting first responders’ ability to mitigate emergencies.

Cleveland’s 19 News’ investigations discovered one fire station must use a damaged truck because the city doesn’t have any spares available.

In addition, the report noted that firefighters said they were recently working a car accident on I-90 when a driver plowed right into Ladder 30. Cleveland Firefighters Union President Francis Lally said none of his guys were physically injured during the crash, but the collision did hurt their confidence in Ladder 30—a utility ladder on the side of the truck was heavily damaged, a tail light was busted, and a few compartments were also smashed in.

Despite the damage, Ladder 30 is back in position at Station 30 on Cleveland’s East Side, though Lally said it’s damaged and compromised and should be taken out of service. However, the report said that is not an option as there currently are no available spare parts.

Despite pleas to the city, Lally said there is no timetable for Ladder 30’s repair.