By Chris Mc Loone

This year, Oshkosh Corporation celebrates its 100th year in business.

The company’s connection to the fire service is both as a manufacturer of aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicles and as the parent company of Pierce Manufacturing, which it acquired in 1996.

History

William Besserdich and B.A. Mosling founded Oshkosh Corporation in 1917. Besserdich and Mosling designed two innovations to help improve mobility in a time when roads were primarily dirt and gravel. These innovations gave people the courage and confidence to drive places they didn’t even think possible before. The first patent was a transfer case that is responsible for transferring the power from the front axle to the rear. Elements of the second patent improved the steering and drive capacity of the front axle.

Since that time, Oshkosh Corporation has grown in size, capabilities, and footprint. Products in the Oshkosh Corporation family of brands respond to emergencies, save lives, help others reach new heights, and serve the world. Today, Oshkosh Corporation has more than 13,500 team members and is an integrated global industrial company.

1 One premise that Oshkosh Corporation was founded on was allowing people the courage and confidence to drive places and do things they didn’t think possible. In the case of its Ascendant aerial product, the company as told reaching 107 feet in the air on a single axle wasn’t possible - but Oshkosh proved it is. (Photos courtesy of Oshkosh Corporation.)

The company brings together a set of integrated capabilities and diverse end markets and is a leader in designing, manufacturing, and servicing a broad range of access equipment, commercial vehicles, fire and emergency vehicles, military and specialty vehicles, and vehicle bodies under the Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Jerr-Dan®, Frontline™, CON-E-CO®, London®, and IMT® brands.

Today Oshkosh Corporation is a Fortune 500 company with manufacturing operations on four continents, and its products can be found in more than 150 countries around the globe. It has manufacturing operations in eight U.S. states and in Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Mexico, and Romania and through investments in joint ventures in Mexico and Brazil.

“One reason that we’re a different kind of global industrial company is our culture,” says Rob Messina, chief technology officer at Oshkosh. “Since our beginnings in 1917, many people told us ‘no.’ Instead of giving up, our founders persevered - even after receiving 53 rejection letters for their first two patents. That can-do spirit is very much alive today. Our JLG 1850SJ carries operators 185 feet in the air, and we were told it couldn’t be done - but we did it. Our Ascendant reaches 107 feet in the air on a single rear axle. Again, we were told it wasn’t possible. Our people truly make a difference in the world around us and are committed to finding solutions even when others tell us it’s not possible.”

Innovations

To remain in business for 100 years or more, there must have been successes through the years that allow it to experience such longevity. It is n

By Chris Mc Loone

This year, Oshkosh Corporation celebrates its 100th year in business.

The company’s connection to the fire service is both as a manufacturer of aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicles and as the parent company of Pierce Manufacturing, which it acquired in 1996.

History

William Besserdich and B.A. Mosling founded Oshkosh Corporation in 1917. Besserdich and Mosling designed two innovations to help improve mobility in a time when roads were primarily dirt and gravel. These innovations gave people the courage and confidence to drive places they didn’t even think possible before. The first patent was a transfer case that is responsible for transferring the power from the front axle to the rear. Elements of the second patent improved the steering and drive capacity of the front axle.

Since that time, Oshkosh Corporation has grown in size, capabilities, and footprint. Products in the Oshkosh Corporation family of brands respond to emergencies, save lives, help others reach new heights, and serve the world. Today, Oshkosh Corporation has more than 13,500 team members and is an integrated global industrial company.

1 One premise that Oshkosh Corporation was founded on was allowing people the courage and confidence to drive places and do things they didn’t think possible. In the case of its Ascendant aerial product, the company as told reaching 107 feet in the air on a single axle wasn’t possible - but Oshkosh proved it is. (Photos courtesy of Oshkosh Corporation.)

The company brings together a set of integrated capabilities and diverse end markets and is a leader in designing, manufacturing, and servicing a broad range of access equipment, commercial vehicles, fire and emergency vehicles, military and specialty vehicles, and vehicle bodies under the Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Jerr-Dan®, Frontline™, CON-E-CO®, London®, and IMT® brands.

Today Oshkosh Corporation is a Fortune 500 company with manufacturing operations on four continents, and its products can be found in more than 150 countries around the globe. It has manufacturing operations in eight U.S. states and in Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Mexico, and Romania and through investments in joint ventures in Mexico and Brazil.

“One reason that we’re a different kind of global industrial company is our culture,” says Rob Messina, chief technology officer at Oshkosh. “Since our beginnings in 1917, many people told us ‘no.’ Instead of giving up, our founders persevered - even after receiving 53 rejection letters for their first two patents. That can-do spirit is very much alive today. Our JLG 1850SJ carries operators 185 feet in the air, and we were told it couldn’t be done - but we did it. Our Ascendant reaches 107 feet in the air on a single rear axle. Again, we were told it wasn’t possible. Our people truly make a difference in the world around us and are committed to finding solutions even when others tell us it’s not possible.”

Innovations

To remain in business for 100 years or more, there must have been successes through the years that allow it to experience such longevity. It is n

By Christian P. Koop

EVTCC Announces New Driver/Operator Inspection Certification Exam

Sometime around the beginning of June this year, the Emergency Vehicle Technician Certification Commission (EVTCC) will be offering certification exams for drivers and operators of emergency response vehicles (ERVs).

This exam will test the knowledge drivers and operators need to properly inspect their ERVs for safety and roadworthiness in accordance with the latest industry standards. This will be a level 1 exam, and it has been created mainly because of a request from the industry and from the growing concern of many who feel there is a vital need for it. The Driver Operator Inspections exam was successfully beta tested last year in Tempe, Arizona, and was very well received. Having drivers and operators certified to properly inspect their rigs in accordance with standards will also have the added benefit of enhancing preventive maintenance programs, which generally results in cost savings for the department’s maintenance budget - not to mention the reduction in liability exposure.

History

The drivers of intercity and over-the-road commercial vehicles are required to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), which has very stringent requirements in place for the driver to inspect the vehicle daily - not only for pretrip but posttrip also. These CDL requirements do not apply to most fire-rescue departments. Part of the issue is there are no laws in place in most states to ensure ERV drivers and operators are fully qualified and have the required knowledge to perform an adequate visual and operational inspection. Let’s face it: Everyone knows a lot of accidents happen because the operator was not familiar with the limitations of the ERV he was driving. This new certification will not address this but is a big step in the right direction.

The need for this exam reminds me of when the industry decided that automotive mechanics (technicians today) needed a way to test their knowledge through certification. That was in 1972, and the organization that created those first exams was the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (NIASE), known today as Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). ASE’s main goal, in a nutshell, was to improve the quality of repairs and service in the automotive service and repair industry, which was suffering from the widespread public perception that the industry was corrupt with fraud when, in reality, most of the problems it was experiencing had more to do with incompetence than fraud. Another organization with a similar goal as the ASE is the EVTCC, commonly referred to as the EVT. It was created with support from the International Association of Fire Chiefs around 1988. The EVTCC’s main goal was to improve the quality of service and repair of fire apparatus and rescue equipment in North America through certification exams. Both of these nonprofit independent testing organizations have done a great job working toward their goals and have successfully added new exams as automobiles, trucks, and ERVs have become increasingly complex with the introduction of new technologies.

Preparation

Reference materials for review to prepare for this exam include National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus (2016 ed.), and NFPA 1911, Standard for the Inspection, Maintenance, Testing, and Retirement of In-Service Emergency Vehicles (2017 ed.). Also good to review is any fire apparatus operator’s manual that covers the chassis, pump, and aerial device and “Cummins Drivers Tips for Fire & Emergency Vehicles and Selective Catalytic Reduction.” There will also be a need to review three areas of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) under 49 CFR, which addresses federal regulat

By Christian P. Koop

EVTCC Announces New Driver/Operator Inspection Certification Exam

Sometime around the beginning of June this year, the Emergency Vehicle Technician Certification Commission (EVTCC) will be offering certification exams for drivers and operators of emergency response vehicles (ERVs).

This exam will test the knowledge drivers and operators need to properly inspect their ERVs for safety and roadworthiness in accordance with the latest industry standards. This will be a level 1 exam, and it has been created mainly because of a request from the industry and from the growing concern of many who feel there is a vital need for it. The Driver Operator Inspections exam was successfully beta tested last year in Tempe, Arizona, and was very well received. Having drivers and operators certified to properly inspect their rigs in accordance with standards will also have the added benefit of enhancing preventive maintenance programs, which generally results in cost savings for the department’s maintenance budget - not to mention the reduction in liability exposure.

History

The drivers of intercity and over-the-road commercial vehicles are required to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), which has very stringent requirements in place for the driver to inspect the vehicle daily - not only for pretrip but posttrip also. These CDL requirements do not apply to most fire-rescue departments. Part of the issue is there are no laws in place in most states to ensure ERV drivers and operators are fully qualified and have the required knowledge to perform an adequate visual and operational inspection. Let’s face it: Everyone knows a lot of accidents happen because the operator was not familiar with the limitations of the ERV he was driving. This new certification will not address this but is a big step in the right direction.

The need for this exam reminds me of when the industry decided that automotive mechanics (technicians today) needed a way to test their knowledge through certification. That was in 1972, and the organization that created those first exams was the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (NIASE), known today as Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). ASE’s main goal, in a nutshell, was to improve the quality of repairs and service in the automotive service and repair industry, which was suffering from the widespread public perception that the industry was corrupt with fraud when, in reality, most of the problems it was experiencing had more to do with incompetence than fraud. Another organization with a similar goal as the ASE is the EVTCC, commonly referred to as the EVT. It was created with support from the International Association of Fire Chiefs around 1988. The EVTCC’s main goal was to improve the quality of service and repair of fire apparatus and rescue equipment in North America through certification exams. Both of these nonprofit independent testing organizations have done a great job working toward their goals and have successfully added new exams as automobiles, trucks, and ERVs have become increasingly complex with the introduction of new technologies.

Preparation

Reference materials for review to prepare for this exam include National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus (2016 ed.), and NFPA 1911, Standard for the Inspection, Maintenance, Testing, and Retirement of In-Service Emergency Vehicles (2017 ed.). Also good to review is any fire apparatus operator’s manual that covers the chassis, pump, and aerial device and “Cummins Drivers Tips for Fire & Emergency Vehicles and Selective Catalytic Reduction.” There will also be a need to review three areas of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) under 49 CFR, which addresses federal regulat