New Champaign, IL Engine 151

[MFD76]

My dept in NY put bid out in 2000 for a new pumper and Central(Rosenbauer)  got the bid...as they did  in 2003 and 2012..... and believe you get what you paid for.  After working on these trucks I found them to be CHEAP!  Seem to be 4 times a month i was putting them OOS for repairs...and the trucks hardly moved off the floor

 

They are making an impact here in Kansas and Western Missouri mainly outside the Kansas City Metro Region. Most departments in our region take full advantage of HGAC purchasing to avert these issues.

 

As most of you know purchasing a fire engine, fire truck will be the best purchase for ten-twenty years or the worst purchase. You must be an informed consumer. We have found the HGAC Houston Galveston Area Purchasing Cooperative to be extremely beneficial. This has allowed our department to guarantee a competitive price and allow us to pick our fire apparatus maker. We no longer have to argue the lowest bid with the city or salesman. Most municipal governments can join and take advantage of HGAC. MARC Mid America Regional Counsel the bi-state agency for the Kansas City Metro -Kansas and Missouri oversees the HGAC for our region. 

 

I have generally found the departments that spec General Bodies are happier. I have found departments with Central Bodies have more problems. I talked at length with the local dealer and he said they always try to provide a General body, however he was insistent that some departments need the Central option due to budget. I know of one department that had some very problematic Central machines and then took delivery of a General. They could not believe the quality difference. However on the next machine was a Toyne. 

 

The other problem is with the Aerial's. No matter which body you choose, there have been numerous departments that have had issues with the Aerial Ladders. We looked at a demo a couple of years ago. The welds were very rough with the paint chipping and rust starting to show. There was a very noticeable difference in the ladder and platform construction compared to E\-One, Pierce, LTI, Sutphen, and Smeal aerials that I have had contact with. The salesman at the time dismissed my concerns. 

 

I also am not impressed with the Commander cab for a number of reasons. 

 

My friends in Fort Worth seemed to really like the General fire apparatus. They have been very complementary over the years and they own the full package of General to Rosen-General. However they have always in recent time purchased LTI and now Smeal Aerials. FWFD is very involved with the manufacturing process, a very tight spec, and the fire shop is specifically trained for the Spartan-Generals, ALF-LTI's, and Spartan-Smeals. This might also be the reason they have had less problems.