The ones built by Fire Priority have tank-like tracking systems, lighting in the cabinet and power sources for radios, scene lighting and other tools and equipment. “Slide out systems are pretty neat,” Grecco said. Some of the common components of SUV command vehicles include LED scene lighting, programmable sirens and warning lights, and slide out cabinets and desk units. The SUV-based vehicles are typically Chevrolet Tahoe models, or Ford Expeditions, Grecco said, noting that there are still a few Chevrolet Suburban models out there too, although they’ve become very expensive at the base price and are, consequently, dropping in popularity. While First Priority will create command vehicles on virtually everything but the heavier commercial and custom cabs and chassis, the company’s specialty is in the SUV-based vehicles, with four-door pickup truck based units coming on strong. “You can do it up with lights …we’re not married to any specific body.” He said there’s even been an uptick in Sprinter vans with raised roofs being used for command vehicles. “It can be painted and dressed up,” Grecco said. Departments have to determine the budget and the mission, he said, noting that some departments might find box, dry freight trucks as a good intermediate step between an SUV-based unit and a full-sized custom apparatus. That’s a fraction of the cost of a custom cab and body command vehicle which can run $250,000 or more, Grecco said.ĭeciding what command vehicle is best is based on the individual department's decision process, Grecco said. He said the “sweet-spot” for those types of vehicles is around $50,000 to $55,000 and up to $75,000 for crew cab pickup trucks with aluminum or fiberglass caps on the backs. Grecco also believes that finances are a big factor in the rise smaller command vehicles. “It doesn’t take long to cover the cost of an SUV,” Morris said. Running the big aerial, or command vehicle on lots of runs can cost $6,000 to $12,000 in just tires, Morris said. Maintenance is out the freaking door, so people are saying we have to do something different.”Īnd what’s different in the SUV-based command vehicles, Morris said, is fire departments can sometimes justify the purchase cost just on tire savings alone at a rate of at least $1,000 a pop. People are looking at the maintenance on the ‘big girls’ and they having a hard time justifying the maintenance. Now, the swinging pendulum is going back the other way. “They don’t pump water and you can’t get any rating for them. “For a while, nobody wanted them,” Morris said. Jeff Morris, president and owner of Alexis Fire Equipment in Alexis, IL, has a theory about why there’s been a growing interest in SUV-based vehicles. Smaller fire departments will be following soon. Places like FDNY, NYPD, Boston, they seem to be opening up now. “I do see more on the road now,” said Adam Grecco, director of technology for First Priority Emergency Vehicles, Inc., a specialty apparatus builder and dealer in Manchester, NJ. They’re the ones built on Chevy Suburbans or Ford Expeditions and even crew cab pickup trucks and companies that make them have seen an uptick in sales. Within the apparatus market, there’s a niche within a niche and that is SUV-based command vehicles.
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