Coatesville, PA: Witmer Public Safety Group (WPSG), Inc. was proud and excited to assist with Jerry Corrado’s annual toy drive by delivering nearly 60 unwrapped presents to his home on Dec. 19.

Corrado, a former WPSG, Inc. employee, had been collecting and delivering presents to children in the pediatric ward and emergency room at Chester County Hospital for 10 years prior to WPSG, Inc.’s involvement this year.

“(My wife and I) started the toy drive when our daughter was working as a medical tech in the pediatric unit (at the hospital),” Corrado said. “She noticed how old the toys were in the toy room. So we asked if we could do a toy drive (during the holidays). The hospital agreed to it, and the first year we collected around 250 toys.”

Instead of stockpiling the toys in the toy room, Jerry and his wife gave them directly to the children. Each subsequent toy drive produced more toys than the previous year. In 2016, 1,687 were collected and distributed.

Because of Corrado’s steadfast, selfless dedication to elevating children’s spirits during the holiday season, WPSG, Inc. decided to get involved with the toy drive: From Dec. 5 to Dec. 15, employees were asked to donate unwrapped, new toys. At the conclusion of the effort, over 60 had been collected – ranging from books and stuffed animals to board games – easily filling two large, cardboard boxes.

“As a company, we wanted to contribute to this worthy cause to make Jerry feel loved,” said WPSG, Inc. Merchandising Specialist Amanda Keesey. “We wanted to let him know that he has a whole team of people behind him that care,” she said.

Keesey, accompanied by several other employees and WPSG, Inc. President Ruth Witmer, loaded the boxes into a company van Tuesday night and dropped them off at Corrado’s home. Additionally, Corrado’s holiday spirit extends past his philanthropic endeavors: His house and front yard are adorned with festive, holiday-themed lights, decorations, and ornaments. While visually impressive, his Christmas-themed display is also used as an entrée to entice onlookers into learning about the toy drive.

On Saturday, Corrado and his wife delivered a total of 1,614 toys to the hospital.

About TheFireStore and Witmer Public Safety Group, Inc.
TheFireStore, a division of Witmer Public Safety Group, Inc., offers product lines from more than 400 manufacturers. Witmer Public Safety Group's motto is Equipping Heroes™, and this continues as they extend their commitment to provide the industry's best equipment and supplies to the professional men and women who serve to ensure the public's safety. For additional information, please call (800) 852-6088 or visit TheFireStore.com.

Manasquan, NJ—P.L. Custom Body and Equipment Co., Inc. (PLCB) has added Vander Molen Fire Apparatus Sales and Service (VMFire) to its growing family of distributors. VMFire will be providing sales and service to emergency services providers in the central and northeastern part of New York. In addition to providing sales and service for both PL Custom Emergency Vehicles and Rescue 1 vehicles, VMFire will be able to provide remounting and specialty conversions through PLCB as well.

Chad Newsome, national sales manager for PLCB, is very pleased to have VMFire as part of the PLCB family. “VMFire Equipment, a dealership that is focused on service and shares our family-run business values, is a strong addition to our dealer network and one that will greatly benefit customers in this region. VMFire will be handling the following counties for us in New York State: Albany, Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Tompkins, Warren, and Washington counties. On behalf of all of us here in Manasquan, we wish to express our thanks to VMFire Equipment, Inc. for joining our team!”

VMFire is currently a dealer for Sutphen Corporation and Fort Garry Fire Trucks. What began in 2004 as a single-salesman operation has grown into the full service organization it is known for today. Phil Vander Molen, president of VMFire, was introduced to Sutphen Fire Apparatus while in the role of committee co-chair for the DeWitt (NY) Fire District. Phil was a full-time English Teacher at the time, has spent 25 years as a volunteer firefighter, and now serves as fire commissioner for Dewitt Fire District. VMFire incorporated in 2005 and began building a sales and service team over the ensuing years. Successful sales and service relationships led to expanding the service and sales departments to seven vehicles and two maintenance trailers. In 2016, VMFire undertook the next step in growth by purchasing three acres of land to design and build its new 9,000-square-foot service and sales facility building. This new facility is equipped with the latest service capabilities to better support our customers. Vander Molen says, “VMFire looks to 2018 as a new phase in our growth process. To better serve emergency service providers, we welcome the addition of the PL Custom Emergency Vehicles and Rescue 1 product lines to our sales and service family. This growth is a natural fit for both our customers’ needs and our organizational plans”.

P.L. Custom Body and Equipment Co., Inc. has been in business since 1946 and owned by the Smock family since 1970. The company employs 175 people at its Manasquan, New Jersey, plant and sells through a network of 17 independent dealers covering 28 states, the District of Columbia, and also distributes their Rescue 1 product in Canada. PL Custom Emergency Vehicle and Rescue 1 are the man

APPLETON, WI—Pierce Manufacturing announced that Commercial Truck Equipment Corporation is expanding its territory to include the Canadian province of Ontario. Commercial Truck Equipment also serves the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as well as Nunavut, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.

“We’re thrilled to announce that Commercial Truck Equipment is expanding its Pierce territory to include the province of Ontario,” said Mike Dufrane, vice president of sales for Pierce Manufacturing. “Commercial Truck Equipment is one of the most respected full-service dealerships in all of Canada, and we are excited to provide a new level of service and support to our customers in Ontario.” Commercial operates a 12-bay service facility in Woodstock, Ontario.

Since 2011, Commercial Truck Equipment has been an authorized Pierce service provider in Western Canada. “Over the course of 70 years, we have built and expanded our business by meeting the needs of our customers,” said Morgan MacKay, general manager of Commercial Truck Equipment Corporation. “We are very excited to serve Pierce customers in Ontario, and have the resources and an expert team in place to deliver ‘best in class’ product knowledge, technical expertise, and customer support.”

About Commercial Truck Equipment
Founded in 1947 in Vancouver, BC, Commercial Truck Equipment Corporation is Western Canada’s largest supplier of truck equipment, with an impressive history of growth, and an unmatched level of customer service and support. Its product expertise includes truck cranes, recovery vehicles, utility trucks, dump and gravel trucks, as well as truck hydraulic systems, truck parts and service. The company’s full-service branches and mobile support across Canada have the parts inventory, and technical and engineering expertise to meet the needs of its customers. Visit www.comtruck.ca for more information.

For more information, visit www.piercemfg.com.

Odessa (TX) Fire Department heavy-duty rear-mount aerial ladder quints (3). Velocity cabs and chassis; Detroit DD13 525-hp engines; Pierce PUC 1,500-gpm single-stage pumps