The City of Battle Creek Selects New Emergency Response Vehicles, Built on Spartan Custom Chassis
CHARLOTTE, Mich., Aug. 16, 2016 -- Spartan Emergency Response ("Spartan"), a business unit of Spartan Motors, Inc. , announced today that the City of Battle Creek, Mich., has purchased two Spencer Manufacturing pumper/rescue vehicles built on Spartan cab and chassis. The decision by Battle Creek ends a lengthy evaluation process of competing vendors' service quality, vehicle safety and ergonomics, and manufacturing capabilities.
Vehicle Safety was Paramount
Vehicle safety was a top priority for the City of Battle Creek, as it sought to replace a response vehicle that was damaged beyond repair in a rollover collision. This is a major concern of many fire departments, as rollovers are the leading contributor to fatal fire apparatus crashes in the United States.1
The Spartan cab and chassis configuration selected by Battle Creek features several occupant safety features, including Spartan's Advanced Protection System® (APS), automatic traction control, and All Belts to Seats (ABTS) driver and passenger restraints. APS is a Spartan industry-first, employing an array of outboard satellite sensors that send data about the vehicle's location, relative to surrounding objects, to a restraint control module that determines which airbags to deploy in the event of an imminent collision.
"Spartan has made firefighter safety a priority," said Daryl Adams, President and Chief Executive Officer of Spartan Motors. "The number of vehicle crashes involving fire apparatus has remained stubbornly high, so we've invested in the engineering of features and systems that protect the entire crew in the event of a collision. We're now manufacturing those safety provisions with a process and at a rate that makes the price accessible for almost any municipality."
In addition to the industry's best safety features, several elements of the trucks were custom-designed to meet Battle Creek's ergonomics, passenger comfort, and storage requirements. The vehicles' rear hose bed was configured as low as possible to provide firefighters with easy and safe access, the cab was custom-designed to meet the department's five-person seating requirement, and full-width gear compartments were included to ensure these trucks could withstand the double-duty requirements of a pumper/rescue.
The Selection Process
Battle Creek's selection process began with a tour of the Spartan Motors plant, with representatives of Spartan Motors, Kodiak Emergency Vehicles, and Spencer Manufacturing on hand to answer questions. A responsive and reliable service partner was an important decision factor, and the plant tour provided Battle Creek with a first-hand look at the partners that would be building and supporting their vehicles.
"Spartan took the time to go over all of the details of the product that were important to us, and gave us the space and time to absorb the information and follow up with others in their organization. The plant tour convinced us that the Spartan-Spencer partnership would provide us with the truck that most closely meets our needs, and the level of service and commitment we expect from a true partner," said Dave Schmaltz, Fire Chief, Battle Creek Fire Department.
Each unit features an extruded frame and body structure built by Spencer Manufacturing with optimized compartment storage for Battle Creek's extrication equipment. Capable of pumping 1500 GPM with a Waterous CSU pump, the department expanded their firefighting tools with the addition of a foam system in each unit. Battle Creek was so impressed with the service offered by Spartan, Kodiak, and Spencer that they ordered a second vehicle to replace a pumper with ongoing maintenance issues. The first unit was delivered in December of 2015, the second unit is expected to be delivered to Battle Creek in January 2017.
1 Donoughe, Kelly, Jennifer Whitestone, and Hampton C. Gabler. "Analysis of Firetruck Crashes and Associated Firefighter Injuries in the United States." Annals of Advances in Automotive Medicine / Annual Scientific Conference. Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, Oct. 2012. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3503424/.
About Spartan Motors
Spartan Motors, Inc. is a leading designer, engineer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty vehicles, specialty chassis, vehicle bodies and parts for the fleet and delivery, recreational vehicle (RV), emergency response, defense forces and contract assembly (light/medium duty truck) markets. The Company's brand names — Spartan Motors, Spartan Specialty Vehicles, Spartan Emergency Response, Spartan Parts and Accessories, and Utilimaster®, a Spartan Motors Company — are known for quality, durability, performance, customer service and first-to-market innovation. The Company employs approximately 1,800 associates, and operates facilities in Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kansas, South Dakota, Saltillo, Mexico; and Lima, Peru. Spartan reported sales of $550 million in 2015. Visit Spartan Motors at www.spartanmotors.com.
About Spencer Manufacturing
Spencer Manufacturing, located in South Haven, Michigan, is an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) that offers production of new, custom-manufactured fire and rescue apparatus. The company began in 1982 as a fabrication shop and expanded its capabilities in 2003 to include complete body development, pump testing and other capabilities. The company sources its custom cab and chassis from Spartan Emergency Response and serves as the final stage manufacturer.
About Kodiak Emergency Vehicles
Kodiak Emergency Vehicles is a family owned and operated business located in the heart of Michigan. We take great pride in knowing that we have dedicated our business to serving the fire and EMS communities that protect our friends and family. Kodiak is a Michigan "Class A" licensed fire apparatus dealer (#A003593) and we partner with service centers across Michigan to give you the option of local service.
SOURCE Spartan Motors, Inc.
CONTACT: Russell T. Chick, Corporate Director of Marketing, Spartan Motors, Inc., 517.997.3852 | Ahren Taszreak, Vice President of Sales and Operations, Kodiak Emergency Vehicles, 517-803-4268 ext. 1
RELATED LINKShttp://www.spartanmotors.com
