EPHRATA, PA (April 21, 2016) – Ladder Tower Co. (LTC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Smeal Fire
Apparatus Co., will exhibit a new 55-foot Snorkel® Articulating Boom Platform in Booth #4321 during the
Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) Exhibition in Indianapolis, Ind. April 21-23, 2016. This is
the first Snorkel to be built by LTC since their acquisition by Smeal in 2014. The design enhancements are
targeted at improving safety, control and reliability. They include the addition of Smeal’s QL-12 peer-topeer
electrical system and state-of-the-art aerial controls, but maintain the most popular and effective
features of the Snorkel design.
The Snorkel was the first elevated firefighting platform to be deployed in the fire service. When it was first
introduced in 1958, it revolutionized firefighting and the ability to reach out, over and up to place firefighters
and a master stream for rescue and aerial attack.
Frankfort Fire Protection District in Illinois, owned a Snorkel for many years, and purchased this first new
Snorkel to replace an eight-year-old 100’ rear mount platform.
“The Snorkel has had an extraordinary impact on our fire ground strategy and capability, how and from
where we attack a fire. It’s our tradition to pass along the best, and we are really looking forward to
bringing the Snorkel’s firefighting capability to our next generation of firefighters,” said James Grady, Fire
Chief of Frankfort Fire District. “The team at Smeal and LTC have done a great job of working with our
people to make sure that when the Snorkel is delivered and hits the streets, it does its job.”
“The Snorkel is a legendary piece of firefighting apparatus, and we’re extremely proud to bring its singular
capabilities back to the fire service. From the conversations we’ve had with firefighters across North
America since we purchased LTC, bringing back the Snorkel was a major priority. There are many fire
departments that have been using a Snorkel for years, who absolutely wouldn’t give up its unique ability
get to the fire or rescue,” said Jeff Wegner, senior vice president of global sales for LTC and Smeal Fire
Apparatus Co. “We can never rest on our laurels, so this was an intensive effort to make the Snorkel
better than it’s ever been, and we feel confident that we’ve achieved that.”
Snorkel® Articulating Boom Platform Goes Places Other Aerials Cannot
The 55-foot Snorkel Articulating Boom Platform can go places that other aerials simply cannot:
• The articulating design allows firefighters to go up, over and out for fire attack and rescue
operations, so that parapets, power lines, antennas and other obstructions don’t stop firefighters
from placing the platform or the master stream exactly where needed.
• The Snorkel is lightweight enough to be mounted on a single axle, short-wheelbase chassis,
providing the additional maneuverability to go up driveways, back down alleys, back up to
curbsides and go around cul-de-sacs for optimum apparatus placement.
• The A-style stabilizers, with a narrow spread of only 11’9”, contribute to the Snorkel’s ability to
reach the scene in tight streets and alleys.
• A low, overall travel height of 11’4”
Frankfort’s new Snorkel rides on Sirius II chassis with a 450-horsepower Cummins ISL9 engine. It is
equipped w