Crimson Fire Inc. delivered nine custom pumpers to Chicago as part of a three-year contract and has begun building more than 30 aerials through another contract with the city.
Chicago, which has one more pumper on order, could purchase as many as 50 units over the life of that contract, according to the company. Since 1992, the city has put 131 heavy-duty Crimson pumpers into service.
Equipment Management Co. (EMC), the Crimson Fire dealership serving Illinois, secured the Chicago pumper contract and will sell and service the apparatus. EMC, which also has operations in Arizona, joined the growing family of Crimson Fire dealers in July 2009.
Each of the new pumpers is built on a 167-inch wheelbase and features a Spartan Gladiator cab and chassis, a Hale Q-Two 1,500-gpm two-stage pump, a 500-gallon water tank, unique stainless steel tubular construction, and a Federal Signal LED lighting package.
Crimson also recently signed a three-year contract with Chicago to provide custom 103-foot rear-mount aerials.
“The city faces some unique emergency-rescue challenges, particularly with overall height restrictions and maneuvering through older neighborhoods,” said Jim Salmi, president of Crimson Fire Aerials. “The Crimson Fire aerial enhances maneuverability in urban settings and delivers rugged, dependable performance with each run.”
The 103-foot aerials, the longest available in the Crimson product suite, will be built on Spartan Gladiator cabs and chassis. The aerials feature a low-profile design with an overall travel height of 11 feet, making them more maneuverable in the city, according to the company. They also feature the industry’s only “greaseless” ladder through a patented roller assembly system, X-style outriggers and a ladder lift cradle that provides enhanced range of operation, the company said.
Crimson Fire, a subsidiary of Spartan Motors Inc. with facilities in Pennsylvania and South Dakota, is a leading manufacturer of custom fire trucks and other rescue vehicles. For information, go to www.crimson-fire.com.
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