SMEAL FIRE APPARATUS CO. has announced that David Rider has joined the company as the regional sales manager for the Midwest. In this position, Rider is responsible for sales leadership throughout the Midwest region, active dealer support and industrial account development for Smeal’s growing industrial apparatus line. Rider brings more than 30 years of progressive experience in sales leadership, product management and dealer support in the fire and public safety industries.
Most recently, Rider was North American sales manager for Sutphen Corp. In that role, he was responsible for overall sales performance and management of North American direct sales and the distribution network. He also successfully developed and launched two major product line expansions while in that position. Rider will report to Jeff Wegner, Smeal vice president of sales.
“We are very pleased to have an experienced fire industry professional such as David Rider join our sales management team,” said Wegner. “His experience as a firefighter and fire chief, along with extensive sales and product management expertise, will be very valuable as Smeal continues to expand our sales, product offerings and support of our expanding distribution network.”
Prior to working with Sutphen Corporation, Rider held progressively more responsible positions at E-ONE, including general account manager, a role in which he was responsible for target fire apparatus direct sales accounts, focused dealer development and direct industrial sales.
Rider’s involvement and interest in fire and emergency services started long before he moved into fire apparatus sales and product management roles. He was fire chief with the U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center Fire Department, served as a captain/paramedic with Naval Mayport Fire & Emergency Service at Naval Air Station Cecil Field and was a port security specialist in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. Rider is a U.S. Navy veteran.
Also, Smeal has received an order for 10 custom pumpers from the Detroit, MI, Fire Department, Mich. The order is scheduled for delivery in summer 2015. This is the department’s first order of Smeal fire apparatus.
“Our department is facing the challenges of a very busy metropolitan fire department, with both unprecedented demand for emergency response services and budgetary challenges,” Second Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Dougherty said. “We purchased these Smeal pumpers following a competitive bid and evaluation process, based on best value for our investment in terms of capability, performance, and reliability. These new apparatus will significantly reduce our maintenance costs, while upgrading the capability and technology available to our firefighters on the front line.”
HALE PRODUCTS INC. is has appointed Jorge Prado to its sales team, responsible for increasing the company’s presence in Latin America and the Caribbean markets. Prado is a U.S. citizen and native of Colombia. He has a marketing degree from the American University in Paris, France.
Bruce Lear, vice president of Global Sales said, “Mr. Prado brings to Hale a unique blend of understanding the complete product basket as well as the markets in which he covers. He has over 14 years of business experience within the Latin American marketplace.”
Most recently, Prado established new sales channels in Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and other countries within the region. He worked closely with OEMs throughout the region to educate their sales teams while assisting the end users on how to correctly integrate these products into their apparatus.
ZOLL MEDICAL CORP., a manufacturer of medical devices and related software, has signed an agreement to purchase substantially all of the assets of IMPACT INSTRUMENTATION INC., a manufacturer of respiratory care products. Impact Instrumentation has been designing and manufacturing portable and automatic emergency ventilators, portable and onboard aspirators, custom mounting systems, and specialized testing systems for more than 35 years. Products include Uni-Vent portable critical-care ventilators and portable resuscitators and Ultra-Lite portable aspirators, which are used aboard ships, aircraft and other military medical and transport services.
The acquisition complements ZOLL’s comprehensive portfolio of innovative lifesaving equipment for military applications, including monitors and defibrillators. Impact is the leading supplier of transport ventilators to the U.S. military. With the addition of the Impact Instrumentation product line, ZOLL will now offer solutions to optimize circulation, cardiac rhythm, and ventilation when caring for critically ill patients, particularly those serving in the armed forces.
“ZOLL has partnered with the U.S. military for over 30 years, with an emphasis on advancing resuscitation and critical care technology,” said Jonathan A. Rennert, president of ZOLL. “Impact’s strong alignment with ZOLL’s existing military sales channel allows us to further expand our efforts to provide products known for the highest reliability in clinical performance and versatility to those serving in the military.”
US DIGITAL DESIGNS has enhanced its Phoenix G2 fire station alerting system with new products. The system helps reduce dispatch call-processing times by instantaneously alerting the right units, in the right places, so they can respond more efficiently and with better information.
“While we’re excited about the entire suite of G2 station alerting products, the feedback that we’ve gotten from our customers and prospects is they they’re very intrigued about receiving alerts at the station and on the go,” said Dominic Magnoni, US Digital Designs’ vice president and general manager. “Yes, there are several mobile alerting applications in the market, but this is the first of its kind to be integrated with a comprehensive station alerting system, which is synched with alerts sent from the dispatch center to the fire station. It’s not a standalone solution; it’s total solution.”
US Digital Designs’ Phoenix G2 Station Alerting System offers an array of sophisticated new emergency alert-related products ancillary to the system:
• FSA Mobile App – Delivers alerts to smartphones, such as dispatch announcements, administrative alerts, IT support notifications and application update notifications. It can send alerts to fire department individuals or groups (e.g., stations, battalions, districts, etc.) while they are away from the station or apparatus. Receiving simultaneous alerts at the station and on mobile devices allows fire agencies to receive important notifications while conducting department business, such as inspections, training and/or meetings.
• G2 Communications Gateway Dashboard – Enables public safety dispatchers to manually alert fire stations, monitor the status of alerts, control radio announcements and conduct alarm reporting (per-station), helping fire agencies maintain National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1221 requirements.
• G2 HDTV Remote – Generates the display of multi-line dispatch information on a customer-provided high-definition television (HDTV) screen, TV, video wall or projector.
• G2 Message Sign – Displays an almost instantaneous single-line scrolling alert message, and can be mounted over doorways or in hallways, kitchens, offices and apparatus bays. Information can be configured to display dispatch information, turnout timer or unit status (with a capable CAD system).
• G2 Sign Remote – Offers a very flexible, inexpensive, general-purpose, station peripheral that supplies power, data and control to a single, non-Power over Ethernet digital LED message sign. The G2 Sign Remote can be hung near a message sign in a hidden ceiling area or mounted to the back of a digital LED message sign.
• G2 Color Indicator Remote – Features high-intensity LED lights in a variety of colors that are instantly recognizable by station personnel, providing immediate dispatch information to the observer. Offers a quiet, alternative visual alerting method and can be mounted on ceilings or walls.
MCMURDO GROUP has appointed Randel Maestre as vice president of sales for Americas, responsible for developing integrated sales and marketing efforts in key search-and-rescue region. Maestre is responsible for implementing a coordinated sales and marketing strategy for McMurdo’s products, including emergency distress beacons, search and rescue infrastructure products and fleet management/tracking software. This includes building sales teams, recruiting partners and developing new channel programs for the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Randel will bring a tremendous amount of experience, leadership and energy to this role,” said Jean-Yves Courtois, CEO of McMurdo Group. “His global background, proven ability to implement go-to-market strategies and ability to relate to partners and customers will help us to quickly establish an in-region presence in the Americas. We are confident that he will develop the programs necessary to maximize revenue and growth not only for McMurdo, but also for our entire channel partner community.”
Maestre has nearly 25 years of global sales and marketing experience to his expanded role at McMurdo Group, where he has been vice president of global strategic marketing for over a year.
