The 2011 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) just ended. The convention center was filled with exhibitors who displayed everything from fire apparatus and gear to shirts and trinkets. There were two local area rigs on display this year. A Medtec Type III ambulance for Algonquin-Lake in the Hills was in the Pierce booth and a Cyclone II 95-foot rear mount tower ladder for University Park was in the E-ONE booth.
Other interesting apparatus displayed included four pieces for the FDNY including a Wheeled Coach ambulance on a four-door Ford chassis, an engine in the Seagrave booth, plus Rescue 4 and Ladder 137 in the Ferrara booth.
Crimson had a tandem axle rescue for Elizabeth, NJ, KME had a tiller for Norwalk, CT, American LaFrance had a tiller for Ventura County, CA and HME had a Type III wildland pumper for CALFIRE.
As regards new introductions:
Pierce showed the new Dash CF chassis under a PUC rescue pumper;
Rosenbauer introduced their Smart Cab enclosure for adding a crew area to units built on a commercial chassis;
KME brought out the Predator Pro Series (Pumper Rescue Operations) integrated pumper and a new 79-foot ladder;
Crimson highlighted their new acquisition of Classic Fire and showed their ‘Transformer’ on a commercial chassis;
American LaFrance announced that they are now offering their Eagle custom chassis to other manufacturers and that the LTI aerials can also be purchased by others;
E-ONE showed the eMAX pumper series with a narrow operator’s panel.