Chris Mc Loone
We have all heard about the trends in apparatus purchasing these days. There's a definite move toward multipurpose apparatus that incorporate many tactical functions into one apparatus to maximize what the crew riding the rig can do once it arrives at an incident. So, we know how budget cuts have affected personnel and purchasing strategies and schedules. But, ultimately when a purchasing committee is getting together to spec out a new truck, the challenge is getting that new truck to fit into the budget the committee is working with. There are many ways to accomplish this, and they're easier than you might think. They might cause a group to change the way it approaches the new purchase, but they are all viable ways to build an effective fire apparatus in as affordable a manner as possible.
Standard Vehicles
Scott Edens, president and CEO of Fouts Bros, espouses accepting standard specifications. He says that if a department can purchase a standard apparatus, the customization cost, which includes engineering and production costs, is dramatically reduced. "Supply agreements with the industry's best component suppliers provide Fouts Bros with discounted pricing for all standard specifications," he adds. "Fouts Bros incorporates brand-specific components in our standard specifications, which allows us to offer departments a best-value proposition for the standard trucks."
Ed Smith, director emergency vehicles group, VT Hackney, Inc., states that the greatest savings a purchaser can experience is to allow the manufacturer to create a product to meet specific requirements based on an existing standard model. "Most manufacturers have numerous models that would fit that classification based on body size, horsepower requirements, maneuverability, water capacity, and so on," he says. "Historically, standardization has been the most difficult option to sell in this industry."
Standardization is a hard sell, according to Smith, because many departments hope to build apparatus that distinguishes them from their peers. "The result is incredible engineering hours and disruption of a production facility-hours that must be passed to the purchaser," he says. "These and other factors result in significant cost increases to provide an apparatus that just as likely could have been served by a preengineered product."
A "program" vehicle is another type of standard vehicle departments can consider to keep the overall cost of the purchase down. "The most cost-effective apparatus we offer is our line of preengineered trucks, commonly known as program trucks," says Harold Boer, president of Rosenbauer America. "We negotiate with our suppliers for better pricing on larger quantities of components."
Phil Gerace, director of sales and marketing, KME, adds, "We have program configurations that offer savings by using standardized components but still offer the flexibility to customize dozens of items like plumbing, lighting, and compartmentation. Our service department offers a number of different levels of refurbishment, and many new trucks use components transferred from the current in-service vehicle."
"Just because it's a program vehicle doesn't mean that we skipped or cut corners to create a truck for a budget-conscious department," cautions Bryan Smeal, regional sales director for Smeal Fire Apparatus. "We did the work in advance to make it simple for our employees to manufacture these products because the bodies, the accessories, and so on, are all preengineered to go together. You're not losing the quality you have come to expect from the builder you choose."
Smeal adds, "If you're looking to purchase something and get a good bang for your buck, program vehicles are a very good option. Most entry-level vehicles are preen