Industry News 9/13

SMEAL FIRE APPARATUS CO. has announced the retirement of Delwin Smeal, company president, effective Sept. 1. He has worked for the company for 47 years, including the past 20 as president.

“Del has given his whole adult life to our company and our customers,” said Rod Cerny, board chair, “he has earned the opportunity to enjoy retirement with Vicki. We all wish them the best.”

Cerny also announced the hiring of a new president and two promotions. Mark Denniston Huber joins the company as president, leading a management team with more than 400 years of collective industry experience. Huber was the founder and chief executive officer of PayFlex Systems USA Inc. Jeff Hunke, a 26-year veteran of the company, has been named chief operating officer. Jeff Wegner was promoted to vice president of sales. He has worked in the Sales Department for the past 20 years, the last 12 as a regional sales director.

AKRON BRASS has appointed three new district sales managers. Will Leach will manage Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. Leach previously was with Smart Power Systems, where he was product manager, Southeast regional sales manager and vice president of sales and service. He has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and served four years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.

Steve Dembowski is now responsible for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York (except New York City), Rhode Island and Vermont. over eighteen years of direct selling experience. He formerly was with DiVal Safety. He has also been a volunteer firefighter, serving as lieutenant, captain and battalion chief with the Moyers Corners Fire Department in the Town of Clay, NY, for the past 28 years.

Steve Lynn now covers Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. He holds a bachelor of science in business administration from California State University. Previously, he was with L.N. Curtis & Sons.

E-ONE has received the first order for ProTech, a new safety technology package. The Bryn Mawr, PA, Fire Company is the first department to order two new fire trucks featuring the system.

“While we’ve never been in a major accident, we see them every day in the news and the statistics even show that most firefighter injuries occur on the way to or from a call,” said BMFC Fire Chief Dan Kincade. “While the system isn’t fool-proof, it certainly helps and adds a layer of protection we would not otherwise have. We have this technology in our cars, so why don’t we have it in our fire trucks?”

ProTech integrates the latest prevention and protection technology to offer an all-encompassing safety technology package. The system features OnGuard for audible collision warning and accident mitigation, G4 electronic stability control for added stability, CrewGuard for occupant detection and a 360-degree camera system for perimeter protection. If an accident does occur, the impact is cushioned with a steering wheel airbag, driver and officer kneebags and side-roll protection. All E-ONE cabs are designed with a roll-cage structure to offer maximum protection.

BRAUN INDUSTRIES has announced that Kodiak Emergency Vehicles of Lansing, MI, is joining its network of first-class ambulance dealers, representing the company throughout Michigan. Kodiak will carry the complete line of Braun ambulances and offer door-to-door service options to help maintain and repair vehicles.

STERLING ROPE CO. INC., a manufacturer of life-safety rope and cord, has named Mattison Crowe as its new director of marketing. He will work with Sales and Product Development to create and execute the company’s long-term marketing strategy within their key lines of business. Carolyn Brodsky, president of Sterling Rope, said, “We are absolutely thrilled to have Mattison join our team. He brings the right mix of talent and discipline to the role, which will help Sterling be more aggressive with our goals to position us as the worldwide leader in life-safety products.”

Before joining Sterling, Crowe was brand manager for Craft Performance Apparel. Prior to that, he was marketing manager at Seven Cycles. He earned MBA and bachelor of arts degrees from Cornell University.

KME has entered into a joint venture in Dalian, China. The Joint Venture Company (JV) completed the formal introduction of the KME brand to the Chinese market at China Fire Expo 2013. KME will supply the JV with complete vehicles and partially assembled kits, all of which will be built in its Nesquehoning, PA, facility. The JV is finalizing construction of an assembly facility in the new Dalian Economic Development Production Base in the province of Liaoning, where the JV will finalize the assembly of KME fire apparatus and specialty vehicles designed specifically for the Chinese market. KME has received an initial order of 80 completed pumpers and tankers to be built at its Pennsylvania headquarters for the Chinese fire market.

MAXXESS SYSTEMS INC. has appointed Jeff Wood as Northeast regional sales manager, responsible for a 13-state area that includes Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Prior to joining Maxxess, Wood was director of business development at Kratos Defense and Security Solutions where he focused on Strategic Accounts and National Transportation Security projects.

PL CUSTOM EMERGENCY VEHICLES and DPC EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT have been awarded a multi-year contract to supply ambulances to Baltimore County, MD, Fire Department EMS. The contract is to provide medium-duty PL Custom Titan ambulances on Freightliner extended-cab M2 chassis. The vehicles will include PL’s “Medic in Mind” right-side layout that provides equipment, supplies, and function switches within arm’s reach, allowing the attendant to remain safely seated during patient care. The layout will be customized to meet Baltimore County’s specific application. Each vehicle will include an enhanced PL centrally ducted climate control system, V-MUX multiplex electrical system, left-side squad bench, Stryker PowerLIFT cot system and other customized features.