Road Rescue Introduces First Production Ambulance On Custom Spartan Motors Cab & Chassis

Inter-Urban Multiple Response Unit on Display at Fire Department Instructors Conference

INDIANAPOLIS, April 3 -- Road Rescue, Inc. today announced it will display its new Inter-Urban Multiple Response Unit at the 2003 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis, April 3-5. The ambulance, built for the Cambridge, Mass. Fire Department will support a four-man crew, and feature a custom chassis instead of the more common cutaway chassis found on most ambulances.

Road Rescue, a St. Paul, Minn.-based ambulance maker and wholly owned subsidiary of Spartan Motors, Inc. , said the Inter-Urban will support light rescue and extrication equipment, as well as patient transport and space for a variety of diagnostic equipment and storage. The ambulance will feature the new "Smart Display" technology -- allowing operators real- time vehicle information.

In addition, the Inter-Urban will utilize a non-absorbent aluminum material in the patient compartment, eliminating the use of wood from cabinet construction. Crews will be able to move easily between the cab and the body of the ambulance, and the custom chassis will allow for better performance, more cabin and body space, and increased durability.

"Most fire departments will run an ambulance on every fire call and in many cases the ambulance is the first on the scene," said Chuck Drake, President of Road Rescue. "We think the market is ripe for a migration from the conventional chassis to the custom chassis both because of the roomier cab, which accommodates the desire for larger crews and more equipment to respond to emergency situations, and the ride-and-handling benefits offered by a custom chassis."

The ambulance will be built as an inter-city vehicle using a Spartan Motors ATR-1 fire truck cab designed for ambulance applications. The vehicle will support the Cambridge area, whose daytime population averages 350,000, in a high-density environment of 10 square miles.

Historically, the ambulance market has lacked a custom chassis alternative. However, due to the increased runs of ambulances, larger crew sizes and the demand for better safety and performance capabilities, fire departments today have a greater need for an ambulance on a custom chassis.

About Road Rescue and Spartan Motors

Established in 1976, St. Paul, Minn.-based Road Rescue, Inc. (www.roadrescue.com ) designs and manufactures custom modular ambulances and specialty vehicles. Road Rescue, which is owned by Spartan Motors, produces 8 ambulance models, has 18 dealers in the United States and Canada, and employs more than 150 people. Spartan Motors, Inc. designs, engineers and manufactures custom chassis and vehicles for the recreational vehicle, fire truck, ambulance and emergency-rescue markets. The company's brand names -- Spartan(R), Crimson Fire(R) and Road Rescue(R) -- are known in their market niches for quality, innovation, value and service. Spartan Motors employs more than 750 at facilities in Michigan, South Dakota, Alabama, Minnesota and South Carolina and is publicly traded on The NASDAQ Stock Market.

NOTE TO EDITORS: See Road Rescue products at FDIC in Booth #2417.