Officials from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) Thursday celebrated two new facilities that will soon begin operation at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN, according to a news release. The new fire station and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) replace buildings that were constructed in the 1940s.

Both new facilities were NNSA pilot projects designed to streamline the efficiency and delivery of construction projects under $50 million. Y-12 Site Manager Gene Sievers said, “Today marks the end of a long process to plan for and build these two facilities to commercial-like standards, saving taxpayer dollars and setting an example for future projects.”

Both buildings cost around $68 million total which was funded by the government, according to Sievers, wvlt.tv reported.

The fire station will provide ample space for Y-12 Fire Department equipment, personnel, and training activities. It is designed to provide easy entry and exit for equipment, enhancing response capabilities for site needs as well as mutual aid in the surrounding communities.

The new EOC will provide a state-of-the-art facility for 24/7 plant systems monitoring and will consolidate emergency operations management, communications, and response technical support into one location to enhance emergency management.

“These facilities will also be a huge improvement in working conditions for our Y-12 firefighters, Operations Center, and emergency response personnel,” said Sievers.

NNSA committed to modernization

Both Sievers and Y-12 Director of Emergency Services Bobby Jenkins acknowledged NNSA’s support of the projects and their commitment to modernizing Y-12. Jenkins specifically thanked NNSA’s Office of Infrastructure for recognizing the opportunity to do something unique and providing authorization to move forward on this commercial-like build.

Jenkins praised Emergency Services staff, particularly those who have worked around the clock in buildings that have far exceeded their life expectancy. “Thank you for what you do because your work is important and these beautiful new buildings will provide the opportunity to carry out that mission for many years into the future,” Jenkins told personnel.

Teamwork facilitated completion

Jim Blair, the project manager for construction of both facilities, reminded those in attendanc

By Bill Adams

In “A History of LTI and Ephrata’s Ladder Trucks, Part 1” (December 2022), I explained how a concept conceived by a rural farm wagon builder evolved into a crane manufacturing company that later created a division fabricating aerial devices for the fire service.

The aerial division was purchased by Mahlon Zimmerman, renamed Ladder Towers Incorporated (LTI), and relocated to Ephrata, PA. Part 1 described LTI’s development as an influential player in the ladder truck market and its eventual purchase and renaming to Simon-LTI. Part 2 continues the story.

American LaFrance

In 1995, Freightliner purchased the defunct American LaFrance (ALF) assets ostensibly to build custom cabs and chassis for the fire service. Several years later, Freightliner’s ALF division suddenly, but not unexpectedly, returned to building complete apparatus by acquiring apparatus manufacturers (OEMs) RD Murray, 3D Manufacturing, Becker, Boardman, Medic Master, Rescue Master, and Southern Coach as well as component part manufacturer Aerial Innovations, Incorporated. Shortly thereafter, ALF purchased Simon-LTI. The aerial device employees on Cocalico Creek Road had another new owner.

The domestic Snorkel products including the Squrt and TeleSqurt lines have a convoluted history of owners originating with Pitman Manufacturing. All the lines ended up at the rejuvenated ALF either previously purchased by ALF’s former owner before it went out of business or purchased directly by Freightliner.

Tony Mastrobattista (Tony Mastro), an original employee of LTI and later Simon-LTI, says, “After ALF purchased Aerial Innovations, it purchased Simon-LTI and I stayed on with American LaFrance. My title was changed to national sales training manager-LTI division.”

The numerous apparatus acquisitions caused a great deal of apprehension in the fire truck industry and in Ephrata. The purchases provided ALF with three sources of aerial devices and multiple nationwide manufacturing facilities with trained workforces experienced in building fire apparatus. It provided an instant backlog of hundreds of “on-order” apparatus ranging from ambulances to ladder trucks. Overnight, it put ALF in the top tier of apparatus manufacturers. And ALF now controlled small apparatus OEMs’ access to aerial devices once supplied by Aerial Innovations and Simon-LTI.

Keith Purdy was ALF’s national marketing manager from around 2001 to 2009. Purdy: “The former Aerial Innovations product line was phased out and its plant in Lebanon was used to produce the ALF Silver Eagle, a stainless-steel aerial ladder that Aerial Innovations already had under development.” Purdy and Mastro say some of the purchased Snorkel, Squrt, and TeleSqurt product lines were also manufactured at both the former AI factory in Lebanon and the former LTI facility on Cocalico Creek Road (photo 1). The LTI plant continued building aerial devices with the LTI logo for ALF on the ALF chassis (photo 2).

ALF’s owner Freightliner was part of the Daimler corporation that later merged with Chrysler. Purdy was asked if it was difficult integrating a small, very experienced, and well-established manufacturing firm such as LTI into ALF—now just one small segment in a large multicorporation conglomerate. Purdy: “The LTI team on Cocalico Creek Road was so exceptionally experienced and talented that weaving them into the American LaFrance mold was not as critical as maintaining their freedom of decision making and market growth campaigns. To this end, even the national advertising of American LaFrance ladder and tower products in that time

Sutphen—Clay (NY) Volunteer Fire Department SL75 aerial ladder quint. Monarch cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; 75-foot mid-mount aerial ladder; Hale Qmax 1,750-gpm pump; 500-gallon polypropylene water tank; Harrison 8-kW generator. Dealer: Scott Leavery and Nick Catalino, Vander Molen Fire Apparatus Sales and Service, Syracuse, NY.

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