It all started with a single question: How can we help? 

Like the rest of America, the associates of Spartan Motors,  Inc. (Nasdaq:SPAR) asked that question in the days following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon.  Like the rest of America, they prayed, they gave blood and they wrote checks.

But that was not enough–and so associates at the Charlotte, Michigan-based manufacturer of fire trucks, emergency vehicles and RV chassis approached CEO George Sztykiel with their own offer: We want to build a fire truck for the city of New York and are willing to donate our time, on nights and weekends, until it gets done. We want you, they said, to donate the parts needed to build the truck.

So Sztykiel called one of Spartan ’s subsidiaries, Luverne Fire Apparatus in Brandon, S. D.,  and proposed the idea to President Jeff Lautt–who, coincidentally, had been thinking along the same lines. The pair agreed, and promptly enlisted the help of more than 75 suppliers, who agreed to donate the warning lights, sirens, pumps,  tanks and other major components necessary to help the New York Fire Department rebuild its decimated fleet.

The pumper truck was presented to Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and the Fire Department of New York on Monday, February 25 at 11 a. m.  at 9 Metro Tech Center,  Brooklyn, by a team from Spartan Motors and Luverne. It will replace one of the more than 40 trucks destroyed on Sept. 11 and will bear a plaque saying "Made in the USA. "An artist has painted a firefighter ’s helmet in front of the twin towers of the World Trade Center on one side of the cab, and the Statue of Liberty on the other side of the cab to commemorate the city ’s fallen firefighters.

"As we work to help New York City with the tremendous project of rebuilding, it is incumbent on every American to do what he or she can to help, "Sztykiel explained. "The nature of our business puts us in a unique position to donate something that is immediately necessary and immediately useful.

"We were overwhelmed by the generous offers from our associates and our suppliers to donate both time and equipment for this incredible project. More than 500 Spartan and Luverne associates have had a hand in the design, manufacture and delivery of this custom pumper truck. 

" Sztykiel and Lautt worked with New York’s Fire DepartmentSpartan Motors Donates Employee-to ensure that the truck will meet the city’s needs. Since most fire trucks are custom-built, New York wanted Spartan’s donated pumper to closely mirror the design of its existing fleet in order to minimize the need for retraining firefighters.

The pumper features: 

• Spartan’s custom chassis with a short wheel base for greater maneuverability;
• Luverne’s signature tubular stainless steel body, built to withstand the city’s rigorous response duties;
• A 500-gallon water tank and a pump capable of delivering 1, 000 gallons per minute;
• A roomy tilt cab, which makes routine maintenance easier;
• A low hose bed, allowing firefighters to unload equipment from the truck as quickly as possible;
• and Luverne ’s new multiplex electric system, which simplifies installation and expands diagnostic capabilities.

"Our engineers and designers have worked closely with the city to come up with a design that mirrors the city ’s current rigs as closely as possible, "Lautt explained. "We want the truck to be extremely user-friendly –and to give New York firefighters many years of service.  Reliability is designed into all of our vehicles. We build them to stay in service and on the road.

" Luverne contacted more than 75 suppliers, who agreed to donate components and products to the project. In many instances, Lautt explained, he was not able to finish his request before being interrupted by an offer to help.

Ohio-based Weldon Technologies, Inc. is one such supplier who agreed to help by donating lighting and multiplex electrical components for use in fire trucks. Another supplier,  W. S. Darley &Co., is donating water-pumping equipment,  while Cummins Michigan Power,  Inc. has agreed to donate the engine.

"As long-standing partners of Spartan Motors, we were pleased to partner with them on such a wonderful project, "said Greg Boll, president of Cummins Michigan."New York City has a definite need, and we wanted to do something to help the fire department there. I was very impressed when I heard that the Spartan associates had volunteered to donate their time to build the truck.

" Lautt praised the efforts of the 70 associates at Luverne ’s headquarters in South Dakota.  He said office workers and others who don ’t normally do assembly were eager to have a hand in building the truck.

"This fire truck is an absolute labor of love, "Lautt said. "It is our way of reaching out to the brave firefighters in New York–to those who lost their lives, and to those who continue to work to restore America after the tragedy." 

Spartan Motors, Inc. (www.spartanmotors.com) is a leading developer and manufacturer of custom chassis for recreational vehicles, fire trucks,  ambulances and other specialty vehicles. In addition to Luverne,  the Company also owns fire and rescue vehicle manufacturers Quality Manufacturing and Road Rescue, Inc.

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