Production photos from the Ferrara website of a heavy rescue being built for Champaign
PRODUCTION: H-6348
Heavy RescueChampaign, IllinoisTRUCK INFO
Type: Heavy RescueChassis: CinderBody: Extruded Aluminum BodyPump: N/ATank: N/A

Ferrara Fire Apparatus photo

Ferrara Fire Apparatus photo

Ferrara Fire Apparatus photo

Ferrara Fire Apparatus photo
Pingback: New heavy rescue for Champaign (more) « chicagoareafire.com
#1 by Mike C on April 7, 2018 - 5:30 PM
Crabby Milton, are you referring to a Chicagoland department that had Pierce and went to Seagrave and will likely buy more?
#2 by Matt on April 3, 2018 - 9:47 AM
Rosenbauer builds formed stainless and aluminum bodies near Minneapolis at the former General Safety facility while the extruded bodies are built in Lyons, SD at the former Central States. The non-Metz aerials are built at a separate plant in Nebraska. The chassis is also most likely built in Minnesota. The Champaign engines were all built on Commander chassis.
#3 by CrabbyMilton on April 3, 2018 - 5:53 AM
PIERCE has a recent history of rust problems and the fact that they jerk customers around when confronted with it certainly doesn’t help matters.
I don’t know what ROSENBAUER’s problems are but it really makes one wonder why companies get into a business if they obviously don’t want to do it right.
PIERCE has been around forever so it’s even more of a shame since they knew what worked and just kept doing it but decided quality is just too much bother.
One department around here had it with PIERCE and went to SEAGRAVE and they love them and will likely order more in the future.
#4 by Jeff on April 2, 2018 - 8:55 PM
Commander. But I think Rosenbauer has two different plants.
#5 by Mike C on April 2, 2018 - 7:21 PM
What chassis are the Rosenbauer engines on for Champaign?
Pierce = biodegradable fire apparatus
#6 by Jeff on April 2, 2018 - 1:16 PM
They are nothing but problems. Rosenbauer sent a tech down for weeks. Then took them back to the factory one at a time. Anyone look at Rosenbauer should call CFD first. I walked thru the Rosenbauer booth at FDIC last year. The rep stopped me and asked where I was from. Haha, after I told him he said if they could take all 5 of champaigns engines back he would. Then made the comment that they don’t have to worry about getting any more business in the Champaign Urbana area.
#7 by MABAS 21 on April 2, 2018 - 11:07 AM
Jeff, what is wrong with their Rosenbauer engines?
#8 by Austin on April 2, 2018 - 10:24 AM
You are 100% Mike. Champaign is one of the departments suing Pierce, and I doubt they will buy any for a very long time. A lot of departments don’t seem to be loyal anymore to one brand, nor should they. You buy what is best for the community, and at a fair price. I wish more departments had Seagrave, but they are too expensive for a lot of departments. To most towns the bottom line is the most important thing.
#9 by Jeff on April 2, 2018 - 8:17 AM
Bingo Mike. There are a lot of departments involved in that. But it still seems like most north if I80 departments are still buying pierce.
#10 by Mike on April 1, 2018 - 10:01 PM
I think a lot of these departments are part of a lawsuit against pierce for the frames rusting out too. So if you’re suing them they’re probably not buying from them.
#11 by Jeff on April 1, 2018 - 9:49 PM
Champaigns tower ladder is several years old now. They replaced all but one frontline engine with Rosenbauer. Haha what a mistake that was. They have these two Ferrara rigs on order but just purchased a Spartan engine to replace the last pierce engine. Bloomington has switched to eone. Urbana has two Spartan engines now. Pierce isn’t what they use to be. There are several manufactures out there building trucks as good or better than pierce for 100k cheaper.
#12 by harry on April 1, 2018 - 7:16 PM
however I do believe that champaign just got a pierce ladder or tower with in the last year or so
#13 by Gary on April 1, 2018 - 6:55 PM
I don’t believe it is an inferior product. We bought 5 for all our frontline units at the end of 2016. Plus we had bought two, 2009 & 2013 and got a used platform 2009. Pierce was by far the best and had the dealer and maintenance set up in place. There were some quality control issues at delivery but they owned up to it and everything was made correct. We replaced an E-one fleet and we are only about 300 miles away from the factory but there was very little dealer support over a long period of time. We would have looked at Seagrave but there is no dealer anywhere in the Southeast. I would suspect there are some issues with the dealer or pricing.
#14 by Mike C on April 1, 2018 - 5:58 PM
I wonder why all these departments are going away from Pierce? Perhaps because they’re in inferior product???
#15 by Jeff on April 1, 2018 - 5:17 PM
Urbana, Bloomington, Normal, Danville, Mattoon and many many more downstate are getting away from Pierce.
#16 by Rich on April 1, 2018 - 1:01 PM
Wow more and department’s getting away from pierce. Campaign was always pierce. WOW