My chat yesterday about the future of fire pumpers and their downsizing brought a few comments and lots of emails. Even some speculation that the ambulances might get back to basics, too. But I don’t think they were serious suggestions.
But to wrap it up, I think that this change in direction for fire engines has been percolating for a while, but nobody has temerity to step up and say that they want just a pumper and not all the add-ons. Because, you see, everybody likes to show the citizenry that they have the latest and the best. And for some people, biggest equals bestest.
This sudden financial crunch is hastening the change back to basics, though. But there just might be an upheaval in the supply system that will bring an even more profound change, and that’s the matter of who will be making these newer fire wagons. We all know that a couple of the remaining major firetruck builders are on fragile financial situations right now, and this sudden drop-off in orders will certainly cause some sleepless nights for a few people. I keep thinking about when the Feds decided back in the 1970′s that fire trucks needed to undergo the same type of crash-testing the automobiles undergo before they could be marketed. That was also during an economic downturn and several of our firetruck builders had no choice but to close up shop. Sayanora Peter Pirsch and Ward LaFrance.
American LaFrance is probably one of the shakiest right now, but last year they pre-emptorily shifted their production lines back to a couple of smaller facilities in a cost-saving move. But they cannot afford to go long without actually selling any trucks, so this will be a test. Seagrave has also been pretty wobbly lately, surviving mainly by a few contracts with municipal departments that purchase several engines and trucks at a time. But these same cities are also bankrupt now and are closing firehouses instead of ordering new stuff. I’d be willing to bet that Seagrave will pull back to an aerial-only production in an attempt to keep open. How successfull that will be I’ll leave to you to guess.
So we’ll end up with two groups of firetruck builders. One will be the surviving “big guys” who have the capitalization to make it through the lean times along with the ability to quickly shift production into the “new” design.
Coming soon ….
The other group will be the hometown shops that will be stepping up to try and fill the gap. I’m referring to the small, family firms that are currently building brush trucks and quick-attack vehicles. They are already producing NFPA-compliant trucks and have the instituional knowledge of what is desired by the fire departments in their region of the country. Look for a resurgence of the mini-pumper (with a 4-man cab now attached) and in a year or so you’ll be getting visits at the firehouse on meeting nights with the traveling salesman bringing one by for you to check out and pet.
I’m late again today, so we’ll finish up tomorrow and I’ll tell you where the microchip fits in to all of this. Let’s get this equipment checked out now. I need to get some more coffee going.
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