APPLETON, WI—Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, announced that Siddons-Martin Emergency Group marked the company’s 45^th anniversary as an authorized Pierce dealer with the expansion of service center offerings across Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana. 

• The Lubbock, Texas Service Center opened in August 2018, serving the North Texas and Texas Panhandle region. 
• The Dallas Service Center opened in January 2019, located in Balch Springs, Texas, and serves the city of Dallas, Texas, and the surrounding municipalities. 
• The Longview Service Center is scheduled to open in April 2019, located in Longview, Texas, and will serve the East Texas and North Louisiana regions. 

Headquartered in Houston, Texas and employing more than 300 dedicated personnel, Siddons-Martin Emergency Group is considered one of the largest emergency vehicle dealerships in North America.

“As we celebrate our forty-fifth year in business as a Pierce authorized dealer, I couldn’t be more grateful for the knowledgeable team and incredible customer relationships we’ve built over the years,” said Leon Martin Jr., president of service for Siddons-Martin Emergency Group. “The new service centers and mobile service units will allow us to grow relationships, while providing the same quality products and enhanced experience our customers have come to know and trust.” 

Pierce fire apparatus sales in these regions led by Siddons-Martin Emergency Group have been the driving factor for service center expansion. All centers will feature hydraulic truck lifts, mobile or on-site fire pump testing and certification, computer diagnostics and service history review, annual and semi-annual inspections, robust preventive maintenance programs, and EVT and ASE certified technicians with a master EVP technician in each region.  

“I’d like to thank the Siddons-Martin Emergency Group team for exceptionally serving Pierce customers in Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana for the last 45 years,” said Jim Johnson, president of Pierce Manufacturing. “As a highly respected dealer and service provider, I am confident the service center expansions will provide outstanding support and be an invaluable resource for current and future customers.” 

Upon opening the Longview Service Center, Siddons-Martin Emergency Group will maintain a total of 16 service centers and 40 mobile service units – all featuring highly trained technicians offering expertise in the areas of parts ordering, training, warranties, and other aftermarket services.

For more information about Pierce Manufacturing and Siddons-Martin Emergency Group’s service center expansion, visit www.piercemfg.com.

About Siddons-Martin Emergency Group
Siddons Martin Emergency Group, LLC, a Texas limited liability company, is privately held and traces its history to its foundation in 1974. Siddons Martin, since starting business in 1974, has been a dealer for Pierce Manufacturing. Siddons Martin also sells and services emergency vehicles catering to emergency responders for police, EMS, and Fire through a diverse mixture of products and services. Siddons Martin has 16 service centers covering Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico.

By Ron Heal

For the past 17 years, Dave Weaver has headed an organization that has brought the Chicagoland Emergency Vehicle Show to the western suburbs of Chicago. This event has grown to a three-day show of emergency vehicles that include fire, police, ambulance, professional cars, and military vehicles. The show is usually held in early August. The dates for the 2019 show are August 2-4. Friday evening and all day Saturday are the main days for the public show. A Friday evening of lights and sirens brings a long line of vehicles parading from North Aurora down to Oswego, Illinois. Saturday finds a variety of vintage and current emergency vehicles displayed in downtown Oswego. For 2019, the show is scheduled to take place along Station Drive, just off Orchard Road and Mill Road in Oswego. From early Saturday morning well into the afternoon, the display and events make for an interesting and active day. Sunday is a private event for participants in the show.

In 2018, Weaver told me that he anticipated some former Chicago (IL) Fire Department (CFD) apparatus would be a part of the show. That turned out to be correct as two very interesting former CFD rigs drove in from the west.

It turns out that Kris Habermehl has quietly been building up a fleet of retired Chicago Fire Department fire apparatus. Habermehl lives in Davis Junction, Illinois, near Rockford. Habermehl is active in Chicago radio and TV, currently associated with WBBM News Radio 780 AM. He reports on morning and evening rush hour traffic conditions, just as he has been doing for 27 years. While that was once done with the aid of a helicopter, today Habermehl is a part of the traffic conditions from a car. He is a long-time radio host of the annual Chicago Air & Water Show on WBBM Radio, and narrator for the Chicago Fire Department’s air-sea rescue demonstration that is a part of the air and water show. Habermehl is an historian and lecturer on Chicago city, maritime, and aviation history. He explains that he is a lover of all things Chicago—especially her Chicago Fire Department.

His idea of a “Heritage Battalion” has evolved over the years. It all started in 2008 when Habermehl acquired a fully functional, original condition 1975 Seagrave 100-foot rear mount aerial ladder truck. He bought that apparatus on eBay. Prior to that time Habermehl owned some vintage cars and even a fire truck that was not CFD-related. There was a personal satisfaction owning the former Truck 28 and seeing the reaction wherever he took his rig to display or parade. Habermehl quotes author Kurt Vonnegut, “I can think of no more stirring symbol of man’s humanity to man than a fire truck”. Habermehl operates on that quote, combined with a respect for Chicago fire fighters and the apparatus they responded with. What better way than having a collection of retired Chicago Fire Department apparatus to care for and display?

So, what units were displayed at Oswego, and what other units does he have to form his Heritage Battalion? Two rigs rolled into Oswego. Reserve Snorkel 1, a 1985 Seagrave 85-foot Snorkel that spent most of its service life as a spare unit and former Truck 9, a 1973 American LaFrance 100-foot rear-mount aerial ladder that got the attention of everyone attending the show. Kris points out that these are just two pieces of apparatus in a larger collection. He has several additional units that he has been able to acquire—mostly by learning how to use the