Inside the Apparatus Industry
Story & Photos by Bob Vaccaro

With the economy being the way it is these days—department budgets stretched to the limit and layoffs happening all around us—the only logical choice for some fire chiefs is to cut their apparatus budgets. As a result, instead of buying million-dollar-plus aerial apparatus, they’re choosing to refurb existing apparatus at a significant cost savings.

Consider the Pelham Manor (N.Y.) Fire Department. The department had a 1973 Mack Aerialscope that had served the community for more than 35 years. Chief Joseph Ruggiero decided to look into refurbishing the vehicle. Because Seagrave is now the builder of Aerialscopes, it was logical for the chief to contact the local Seagrave dealer, Excelsior Fire Equipment Sales, to see if its engineering staff could redesign the vehicle for his department.

Most of the other Aerialscope refurbs on the market were being built on a tandem axle chassis. Going this route would cost roughly $500,000 more than what Seagrave would require. This option was still available, but the department chose to go with the single rear axle.

Seagrave offered to rechassis and refurbish the 75' Aerialscope Tower on a single rear axle. Seagrave engineers minimized the weight with a stronger high-tensile steel torque box combined to maintain the single rear axle option for a renewed Aerialscope.

The lighter-weight components of older Aerialscopes, including the boom, turntable and superstructure, make the 4 x 2 option possible.

Having the single rear axle gives the truck a shorter wheelbase and makes it more maneuverable on narrow streets and around tight street corners—a big plus in some areas of the country.

Additionally, Tower Ladder 3 received a new Seagrave Marauder II stainless-steel cab and chassis, featuring a rigid stainless-steel subassembly that completely surrounds and protects the firefighters.

The original boom assembly and all related components were disassembled, and all of the original hydraulics were rebuilt or upgraded. All electrical components, including harnesses, were removed and replaced with the latest technology. A third-party testing group inspected all of the welds of the major components.

The vehicle refurb turned out well at a significant cost savings to the department.

So with this example in mind, the next time you need a new apparatus, consider going the “refurb route.” But before you decide on any refurb, obtain a copy of NFPA 1912: Standard for Fire Apparatus Refurbishing. The standard covers every aspect of refurbing an existing piece of fire apparatus. You’ll want to make your decision using a host of factors, including age, mileage, engine hour and pump hours. Don’t just let cost savings be the deciding factor. And make sure that whichever route you take, you consult the manufacturer that built the original vehicle (if still in existence) to see if the work is feasible. If not, you’ll want to go with another manufacturer that specializes in the type of work you need.

Bob Vaccaro has more than 30 years of fire-service experience. He is a former chief of the Deer Park (N.Y.) Fire Department. Vaccaro has also worked for the Insurance Services Office, the New York Fire Patrol and several major commercial insurance companies as a senior loss-control consultant. Vaccaro is a life member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

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