By Chris Mc Loone

FDIC International 2017 will be the first time many get a chance to see Spartan Motors and Smeal as one company.

I took the opportunity to speak with John Slawson, president of the Spartan Emergency Response (ER) business unit, to talk about the recent acquisition.

FA&EE: Provide a background on how the opportunity to purchase Smeal came about.

Slawson: Spartan Motors has a long history with Smeal as its cab and chassis supplier that dates back 30 years, so further expansion and cementing of that relationship was a natural progression for the two companies. That history and the fact that we had an existing supply agreement made it a natural fit for us in terms of a starting point for the discussion when the family first came to us. Ultimately, this acquisition will help Spartan Motors and Smeal increase our collective competitive position by participating in the industry consolidation and ensuring that Spartan Motors will continue to have the cab and chassis demand to supply not only Smeal but all of our important OEM and dealer channels.

FA&EE: What hurdles did both companies have to clear to make the acquisition work?

Slawson: An acquisition or transaction of this scale always has its challenges, but that’s why the due diligence process is so vital up front. I believe our long history together and the trust we share mitigated many of the traditional hurdles companies might run into. We’ll have learnings as we go forward, but it’s been a very smooth process thus far.

1 This Smeal aerial is built on a Smeal S-600 cab and chassis. (Photos courtesy of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment.)

FA&EE: Will Smeal continue to provide its custom cabs/chassis, or will it use Spartan cabs/chassis exclusively?

Slawson: We intend to sell our full line of products on both the Smeal and Spartan Motors sides but will look at ways to share product and process innovations to better serve our OEMs.

FA&EE: Smeal aerials were used by at least one other apparatus OEM. Will these types of relationships continue?

Slawson: Spartan’s Emergency Response business unit will remain focused on growing business with all of its partners. We look forward to not just maintaining but strengthening our partnerships with our combined OEM customers and being the reliable, go-to resource for cab and chassis and complete apparatus amidst an increasingly consolidating industry.

FA&EE: Does “Smeal” become a brand within the overall company?

Slawson: Smeal will continue as its own brand, as we intend to sell our full line of products on both the Smeal and Spartan Motors sides. In fact, Smeal will continue to be on equal footing with all of Spartan Motors’ OEM customers. Spartan Motors has been a manufacturer of cabs and chassis, as well as full fire apparatus, prior to acquiring three OEMs over two decades. Both companies have always operated on a level playing field, providing consistent supply and standardized products, features, and pricing. Maintaining competition in the industry benefits us all, and we are focused on providing more value to our dealers

By Carl Nix

As thousands of firefighters are preparing to attend FDIC International this month, I started thinking back on some of the FDICs I have attended during my 32 years in the fire service and the information I learned thanks to this conference.

For 90 years, FDIC has been a gathering place for firefighters to share their wisdom and experiences with each other while receiving the latest training in fire safety and equipment. The training given to firefighters at FDIC throughout the years has contributed greatly to protecting the lives of civilians and firefighters worldwide.

Whenever I had the opportunity to attend FDIC, I was impressed with the advances in technology that were being applied to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), turnout gear, fire helmets, fire apparatus, and thermal imaging cameras (TICs). The use of thermal imaging technology in the fire service has been available only since the late 1990s - a relatively young technology to the fire service compared to SCBA. Not until the late 1990s did TICs become accessible to fire departments in the United States and only to some departments that had the funds to acquire this new technology.

The first TICs were large, heavy, and bulky and certainly nowhere near as technologically sophisticated as the TICs today. The first adopters were the truly progressive fire departments that jumped at this new technology, and very soon other departments followed.

1 In today’s fire service, it is common to see a TIC on every apparatus. (Photos courtesy of Bullard.)

Fire departments quickly saw the value in thermal imaging and began to deploy TICs for specific operations such as search and rescue and overhaul. Soon fire departments found more consistent uses for TICs that included fire attack, size-up, and hazmat. Fire departments quickly realized the powerful capability and versatility of this tool. The evolution of thermal imaging technology was underway, much like the evolution of SCBA. When the SCBA was first introduced to the fire service, it was a revolutionary concept, much like the introduction of TICs. SCBA gave firefighters the ability to breathe in dangerous environments, and TICs gave firefighters the ability to see in dangerous environments. Both technologies are the perfect combination for firefighters to safely survive and maneuver in smoked-filled environments.

As technology evolved, so did the design of the TIC. Today, the fire service is afforded a range of handheld TICs, with most models now weighing three pounds or less and incorporating technology that yields clear, crisp imagery that shows cool scenes and high-temperature environments. A hands-free TIC integrated into a firefighter’s SCBA is also available to the fire service. The ability to make TICs even smaller, more integrated, and more capable will most certainly increase in the coming years.

TICs today are powerful, multipurpose devices capable of providing a wealth of information to firefighters. It is common to see a TIC on every apparatus. The fire service needs to make the next move toward securing a TIC for every firefighter. The technology is too important and too enabling not to eventually be standard equipment for every on-duty firefighter. Every firefighter has an SCBA; why doesn’t every firefighter have his own TIC? In past years, the price of a TIC was affordable only to large fire departments. Toda

By Carl Nix

As thousands of firefighters are preparing to attend FDIC International this month, I started thinking back on some of the FDICs I have attended during my 32 years in the fire service and the information I learned thanks to this conference.

For 90 years, FDIC has been a gathering place for firefighters to share their wisdom and experiences with each other while receiving the latest training in fire safety and equipment. The training given to firefighters at FDIC throughout the years has contributed greatly to protecting the lives of civilians and firefighters worldwide.

Whenever I had the opportunity to attend FDIC, I was impressed with the advances in technology that were being applied to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), turnout gear, fire helmets, fire apparatus, and thermal imaging cameras (TICs). The use of thermal imaging technology in the fire service has been available only since the late 1990s - a relatively young technology to the fire service compared to SCBA. Not until the late 1990s did TICs become accessible to fire departments in the United States and only to some departments that had the funds to acquire this new technology.

The first TICs were large, heavy, and bulky and certainly nowhere near as technologically sophisticated as the TICs today. The first adopters were the truly progressive fire departments that jumped at this new technology, and very soon other departments followed.

1 In today’s fire service, it is common to see a TIC on every apparatus. (Photos courtesy of Bullard.)

Fire departments quickly saw the value in thermal imaging and began to deploy TICs for specific operations such as search and rescue and overhaul. Soon fire departments found more consistent uses for TICs that included fire attack, size-up, and hazmat. Fire departments quickly realized the powerful capability and versatility of this tool. The evolution of thermal imaging technology was underway, much like the evolution of SCBA. When the SCBA was first introduced to the fire service, it was a revolutionary concept, much like the introduction of TICs. SCBA gave firefighters the ability to breathe in dangerous environments, and TICs gave firefighters the ability to see in dangerous environments. Both technologies are the perfect combination for firefighters to safely survive and maneuver in smoked-filled environments.

As technology evolved, so did the design of the TIC. Today, the fire service is afforded a range of handheld TICs, with most models now weighing three pounds or less and incorporating technology that yields clear, crisp imagery that shows cool scenes and high-temperature environments. A hands-free TIC integrated into a firefighter’s SCBA is also available to the fire service. The ability to make TICs even smaller, more integrated, and more capable will most certainly increase in the coming years.

TICs today are powerful, multipurpose devices capable of providing a wealth of information to firefighters. It is common to see a TIC on every apparatus. The fire service needs to make the next move toward securing a TIC for every firefighter. The technology is too important and too enabling not to eventually be standard equipment for every on-duty firefighter. Every firefighter has an SCBA; why doesn’t every firefighter have his own TIC? In past years, the price of a TIC was affordable only to large fire departments. Toda

By Carl Nix

As thousands of firefighters are preparing to attend FDIC International this month, I started thinking back on some of the FDICs I have attended during my 32 years in the fire service and the information I learned thanks to this conference.

For 90 years, FDIC has been a gathering place for firefighters to share their wisdom and experiences with each other while receiving the latest training in fire safety and equipment. The training given to firefighters at FDIC throughout the years has contributed greatly to protecting the lives of civilians and firefighters worldwide.

Whenever I had the opportunity to attend FDIC, I was impressed with the advances in technology that were being applied to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), turnout gear, fire helmets, fire apparatus, and thermal imaging cameras (TICs). The use of thermal imaging technology in the fire service has been available only since the late 1990s - a relatively young technology to the fire service compared to SCBA. Not until the late 1990s did TICs become accessible to fire departments in the United States and only to some departments that had the funds to acquire this new technology.

The first TICs were large, heavy, and bulky and certainly nowhere near as technologically sophisticated as the TICs today. The first adopters were the truly progressive fire departments that jumped at this new technology, and very soon other departments followed.

1 In today’s fire service, it is common to see a TIC on every apparatus. (Photos courtesy of Bullard.)

Fire departments quickly saw the value in thermal imaging and began to deploy TICs for specific operations such as search and rescue and overhaul. Soon fire departments found more consistent uses for TICs that included fire attack, size-up, and hazmat. Fire departments quickly realized the powerful capability and versatility of this tool. The evolution of thermal imaging technology was underway, much like the evolution of SCBA. When the SCBA was first introduced to the fire service, it was a revolutionary concept, much like the introduction of TICs. SCBA gave firefighters the ability to breathe in dangerous environments, and TICs gave firefighters the ability to see in dangerous environments. Both technologies are the perfect combination for firefighters to safely survive and maneuver in smoked-filled environments.

As technology evolved, so did the design of the TIC. Today, the fire service is afforded a range of handheld TICs, with most models now weighing three pounds or less and incorporating technology that yields clear, crisp imagery that shows cool scenes and high-temperature environments. A hands-free TIC integrated into a firefighter’s SCBA is also available to the fire service. The ability to make TICs even smaller, more integrated, and more capable will most certainly increase in the coming years.

TICs today are powerful, multipurpose devices capable of providing a wealth of information to firefighters. It is common to see a TIC on every apparatus. The fire service needs to make the next move toward securing a TIC for every firefighter. The technology is too important and too enabling not to eventually be standard equipment for every on-duty firefighter. Every firefighter has an SCBA; why doesn’t every firefighter have his own TIC? In past years, the price of a TIC was affordable only to large fire departments. Toda