June 1, 2007
Holden, LA – Ferrara Fire Apparatus, Inc., a leading manufacturer of custom fire and emergency vehicles, announced today that sales for the first quarter of 2007 continued the record pace established in 2006. Founder and CEO Chris Ferrara said that last year saw new records for fire apparatus sales and that 2007 started out in much the same manner. “We neared the 350 truck mark for the first time in 2006 and, based upon first quarter sales and projected growth through the rest of the year, we are on pace to exceed last year’s record.” Ferrara credited the strong sales of 2006 and 2007 with large aerial sales, including nearly 20 Strong Arm fire fighting vehicles, the company’s entry into the custom fabricated command trailer market, and a large upswing in sales of their Ferrara-built Inferno and Igniter custom chassis.
The company Ferrara created has successfully carved out a niche in the fire truck industry by focusing on custom fire apparatus that are built to answer the customer’s needs, rather than steering the fire department into a pre-engineered design. “Our size makes us extremely responsive to customer’s requests, because we’re not burdened with a lot of the bureaucracy that some of the larger corporations have created.”
Building fire trucks since the late 1980s, Ferrara Fire Apparatus moved to their current location in 1994. The Holden facility was originally built as a 150,000 square foot body-only manufacturing center. However, the company’s growth in the emergency vehicle market and the introduction of their custom designed, industry-leading Inferno and Igniter cab and chassis has required several additions to their factory. Ferrara’s factory today occupies approximately 300,000 square feet of body and chassis manufacturing and boasts a separate service and refurbishment facility on an adjacent property.
Ferrara builds a complete line of fire apparatus in addition to the Inferno/Igniter custom chassis, command trailers and the Strong Arm. The rest of their product offering includes pumpers and tankers, rear and mid-mount aerial ladders and platforms, rescue vehicles, brush trucks and airport vehicles. Ferrara Fire Apparatus has long been considered a leading innovator in the fire and emergency vehicle industry. Their Inferno and Igniter are some of the most rugged custom chassis available and feature optional firefighter safety devices such as Independent Front Suspension, Roll Stability Control, Complete Airbag Protection, and SmartWheel steering systems.
For more information on the company please contact Paul Christiansen, Marketing Director, at 800.443.9006, via e-mail at paul.christiansen@ferrarafire.com or by regular mail at Ferrara Fire Apparatus, Inc., PO Box 249, Holden, LA 70744.
One of the Istanbul Fire Brigade’s Ferrara Strong Arm fire-rescue trucks on the scene in Turkey.
