Kevin Crump has been promoted to president of Crimson Fire. He joined the Brandon, S.D.-based manufacturer of custom fire trucks and other rescue vehicles in July as executive vice president and general manager.

In his new role, Crump will be heavily involved with day-to-day operational issues, particularly those related to manufacturing. He will also assume responsibility for inside sales, quality, engineering, service and support, and related areas. He will continue to report to Jim Salmi.

Salmi, Crimson Fire COO and president of Crimson Fire Aerials, will continue to handle all functions for the aerial subsidiary, as well as finance, human resources, sales and marketing for both business units.

“Our manufacturing efficiencies and quality in Brandon have improved greatly under Kevin’s leadership,” Salmi said. “Kevin is a hands-on leader who is committed to the principles of performance in everything he does, and we are pleased to promote him to president of Crimson Fire and further expand his role."

Crump brings more than 20 years of manufacturing and management expertise to Crimson, the majority of it in heavy-duty vehicles. Prior to joining Crimson, he served as director of operations for Seagrave Fire Apparatus where he was responsible for the production of its complete line of customized vehicles. During his tenure at Seagrave, he instituted systems to streamline the manufacturing process for highly customized fire apparatus. He has also served as vice president of operations for Optima Bus Corp., a manufacturer of urban and suburban transit buses. During his tenure with the Kansas manufacturer, he was responsible for improving productivity, reducing material costs and improving inventory turns.