Rosenbauer America recently received the 500th order for its Commander chassis from the Greenwood Volunteer Fire Company in Sussex County, Del. About 350 units were exported while the rest were purchased by U.S. departments, said Donley Frederickson, Rosenbauer’s national sales manager. The milestone was achieved in the same year that the Commander custom chassis was introduced to the fire service after customers complained about problems in other existing chassis on the market, Frederickson said.
“Fire chiefs and first responders wanted improvements, for example heat on the floor in the cab for those in cold areas and more room for the driver and the captain,” he said.
The 109-foot Viper EXT rear-mount aerial for Greenwood will be built on an R600 Commander chassis with a Cummins ISX12 500 HP engine. The R600 Commander cab will include seating for six fire firefighters, a low-engine tunnel and a flat-floor in the crew area. It also will have an EXT 3/16" extruded aluminum body that carries a lifetime transferable warranty and the patent-pending Rosenbauer Green Star Idle Reduction Technology, Frederickson said. The 109' aerial ladder will undergo the company’s hot-dip galvanizing process and then be painted black for aerial corrosion protection. The aerial will be equipped with the company’s SMART Aerial Controls.
