Industry News 2/13

PIERCE MANUFACTURING celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2013. The company Pierce is kicking off its yearlong commemoration by launching a website section located at www.piercemfg.com/100thAnniversary. The site features an interactive historical timeline, a centennial video, a photo contest, limited-edition merchandise and upcoming events.

The 100th-anniversary website, along with social media posts, will provide information about the company’s history and centennial events, including an open house at its headquarters in Appleton, WI, on July 13.

“Pierce is a company with humble beginnings, a rich history, and an exciting future,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corp. executive vice president and president of the Fire & Emergency segment and Pierce Manufacturing. “It is significant that only a small fraction of companies from any industry achieve the 100-year milestone. On behalf of Pierce employees, and all those who preceded us, we pledge an unwavering level of commitment to firefighters, and boldness in our thinking, as we look ahead to the next one hundred years.”

Founded in 1913 by Humphrey and Dudley Pierce in Appleton, Pierce Manufacturing first built after-market bodies for Ford Model T chassis. In 1939, the company manufactured its first fire truck body and grew to 20 employees. In 1958, ushering in a new era of boom and platform vehicles, Pierce designed the first articulating aerial apparatus. Pierce introduced its first custom chassis and body – the Arrow – in 1982.

 “The more than 2,000 people who work for Pierce, including many families with multiple generations of service, are our backbone – and the reason for our longevity, success and growth,” Johnson said. “Pierce employees think of their work as more of a vocation than a job, and the average employee tenure is nearly 20 years. That speaks volumes.”

SCOTT SAFETY has pledged $10,000 to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund. The donation will go to help firefighters impacted by severe disasters such as Hurricane Sandy. The fund provides stipends of $250 to help firefighters meet basic needs in the wake of a federal- or state-declared disaster.

“We are grateful for this generous contribution from Scott Safety and their continued support of the fire and emergency services,” said NVFC Executive Director Heather Schafer. “We have received over a hundred requests for assistance from volunteer first responders whose homes were destroyed or damaged by Sandy. Thanks to support from individuals and organizations like Scott Safety, we are able to provide assistance to those in need.”

The NVFC Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund relies entirely on the support of individuals and organizations to assist volunteer first responders in need. The NVFC donates all administrative costs associated with the fund, so 100% of contributions go to help volunteer first responders impacted by disaster. With Hurricane Sandy, the fund was receiving more requests than it could fulfill, but donations from Scott Safety, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) and individuals enabled the NVFC to meet the demand.

In addition to donating to the Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund, Scott Safety donated 30 Air-Pak self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to the Point Breeze Volunteer Fire Department and two other volunteer departments in Breezy Point, NY, and will also donate 20 Air-Paks to an affected fire department in New Jersey. Breezy Point, a community largely populated by firefighters and police officers, was hit especially hard by Sandy. At the same time a storm surge caused flooding, the community was hit by one of New York City’s worst residential fires in 150 years. In all, 111 houses were lost in the fire, and many more were ruined or damaged by wind and flood waters.

E-ONE has announced that 2013 EPA-compliant engines are now available for order.

“After working closely with Cummins representatives for the past nine months, we’ve successfully implemented all necessary changes to integrate the 2013 technology into our custom cabs to meet the latest Environmental Protection Agency engine emissions requirements,” said Joe Hedges, E-ONE product manager. “Our close relationship with Cummins allowed for this to be a painless integration, so much so that we began taking orders for the new engines earlier this month.”

The new engine changes also prompted the enhancement of both the transmission controls, to Allison GenV, and the electrical system. The redesigned electrical system now includes enhanced serviceability and state-of-the-art electrical components throughout the cab and chassis.

“While these are government mandated changes that apply to all fire apparatus manufacturers, we take pride in offering a system that is fully integrated into our design to offer our customers the best solution to their 2013 engine needs,” said Hedges.

E-ONE cabs are available with the following 2013 Cummins engines: ISL up to 450 hp, ISX 12 up to 500 hp and ISX 15 up to 600 hp.

R•O•M CORP. has acquired FIRE RESEARCH CORP., which becomes a subsidiary of R•O•M and maintains its presence in Nesconset, NY. FRC founder Jack McLoughlin and partners Toh Meng and Neocles Athanasiades will continue in their current roles at FRC and Meng assumes the role of president of R•O•M’s Electrical Component Division.

“The reputation of the FRC brand is unparalleled,” R•O•M CEO Hupke said. “With this acquisition, R•O•M becomes the largest supplier of emergency scene lighting, pressure governors and flow meters. When combined with R•O•M’s strengths in roll-up doors and safety grating, we continue proving true to our mission to improve firefighter safety and productivity.”

McLoughlin said, “For FRC customers, it’s business as usual. Same location, same processes, same contacts. We’re continuing our pursuit of innovation and great service.”

R•O•M currently has 286 employees at its Belton, MO, East Stroudsburg, PA, and West Saint Paul, MN, facilities. FRC currently has 112 employees at its location in Nesconset, NY. No financial terms were disclosed.

Also, R•O•M has hired Don Fishel as vice president of sales and marketing. Fishel has more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing and industry. Most recently, he was the senior director of sales and marketing strategy for Commercial Vehicle Group Inc.

“Don has a proven track record of driving change and growth. He understands the results we’re looking for and has a great vision of how we can take R•O•M to the next level,” Hupke said. “His well-rounded background in sales, engineering and marketing are a great fit for ROM and will help us continue to drive year-over-year growth during difficult economic times.”

LION INC. has donated thousands of items valued at more than $125,000 to Long Island, NY, first responders, with distribution assistance provided by the Long Beach Fire Department, one of the fire departments that absorbed significant storm damage. LION’s donation includes fire-retardant shirts, cotton shirts, pants, lined coveralls, fleece vests, jackets and structural firefighting gloves.

“LION never forgets what our customers do for our cities and states and country,” said CEO Steve Schwartz. “These first responders don’t even give a second thought to getting out there in the most dangerous of conditions to respond to those in need. It’s just what they do. We want to be able to help and respond to them in the same fashion.”

KME has been awarded a new contract for firefighting vehicles by the State of New Jersey that lets all fire departments within the state to purchase apparatus more easily and cost effectively. Fire departments and municipalities can procure trucks directly off the contract and take advantage of the volume discounts offered. The contract also lets them minimize delays and costs associated with the administration and legal review of public bids. KME’s contract (number 83151) runs through 2017 and includes aerials, pumpers, tankers, rescue trucks and wildland vehicles on custom and commercial chassis.

ZOLL MEDICAL CORP., a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Asahi Kasei, has established Asahi Kasei ZOLL Medical Corp. (AZM) as its Japanese subsidiary. AZM will advance the expansion and development of ZOLL’s critical-care business in Japan, the second-largest medical market in the world. The new Tokyo-based subsidiary is wholly owned by ZOLL. Seiji Sakano, Ph.D, will serve as president of AZM, reporting directly to Richard A. Packer, CEO of ZOLL.

Targeting growth in the field of resuscitation and critical care, Asahi Kasei acquired full ownership of ZOLL in April 2012. As a member company of the Asahi Kasei Group, ZOLL is accelerating the expansion of operations beyond the US and Europe, with a focus on Japan and other major Asian markets.

The ZOLL AED Plus automated external defibrillator has been marketed in Japan since August 2011 through Asahi Kasei subsidiary Admis Inc. To further expand its Japanese business, ZOLL is working to obtain regulatory approval as quickly as possible for products currently sold in the U.S. and Europe, while reinforcing its sales infrastructure in the country.