How a Minnesota company is modernizing fire trucks to keep crews safe
The truck parked inside Fire Station 7 in St. Paul was built just up the road in Wyoming, Minnesota by a company working to make the vehicles safer for crews.
"We build safety equipment. Our goal is to make sure the firefighters get to the scene safe and get home from the scene safely," said Joe Lichtscheidl, of Rosenbauer America.
The modern fire truck apparatus now incorporates camera systems, improved visibility, ergonomic designs and digital tools. Much of it is aimed at navigating tight city streets and reducing traffic collisions while responding to emergencies.
"When we complete [the vehicles], they're equipped with a technology that alerts a driver running certain GPS programs that there's a vehicle approaching a cross street," Lichtscheidl said, as an example of the new tech.
Each of the trucks is hand built by welders, electricians, engineers and skilled crafts people. Rosenbauer says it employs more than 450 people at its Wyoming campus.
For the St. Paul fire crews, the local connection means they're able to provide feedback and suggest how the trucks could evolve in the future.
"The big thing for us is firefighter safety. So for us to be able to operate in a safe way and do our job both fast but also in a safe way, not only keeps us safe but it helps us get to our residents and those in need faster and more efficiently," said Jamie Smith, deputy chief with the St. Paul Fire Department.
As Minnesota manufacturers compete for talent with other states, a strong economy, training and long-term growth opportunities have become just as important as the technology. For the crews who depend on them, the innovations are about making every response safer.
