City of Toronto Selects Vehicles Built by Spartan Emergency Response for Expanded Pumper Fleet

CHARLOTTE, Mich., Feb. 25, 2016 -- Spartan Emergency Response (“Spartan”), a business unit of Spartan Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPAR), announced today that the City of Toronto has selected Spartan and its authorized dealer, Dependable Emergency Vehicles, of Brampton, Ontario, to supply the city with a fleet of new custom pumpers. To date, the city has ordered 14 units, with the option to add more trucks to their fleet over the next three years. Each unit will be equipped with Spartan’s industry-leading Advanced Protection System® and a stainless steel body, delivering unparalleled safety and durability.

Expanding to Serve a Growing City

With a population growth rate of 18% since 2006, Toronto’s Downtown is growing at four times the rate of the city as a whole. Fueling that growth is the blistering pace of development occurring in Toronto’s core. At the end of 2015, new apartment units hit a 25-year high, with 26 buildings containing more than 6,500 rental units under construction. Construction of new commercial space will add even more structures and people to the downtown core.

The “Manhattanization” of Toronto, as some have dubbed this rapid growth, presents new challenges for those who serve the residents and workers flocking to Canada’s largest city. Toronto Fire Services has been diligently tracking the city’s growth to ensure that it can continue to meet its commitment to “provide high quality, efficient and effective emergency response along with fire prevention and educational services to those who live in, work in, and visit the City of Toronto”¹.

Safety First

Providing protection for Toronto’s expanding residential and commercial spaces requires more and better equipped emergency response vehicles. Toronto Fire Services has responded in kind with an order for 14 new Spartan pumpers in 2016, with the option to expand the fleet and add more trucks over the next three years.  All units are custom built on Spartan’s purpose-built Metro Star chassis, and will be deployed across the city of Toronto, better equipping the force to respond to the needs of their rapidly growing metropolis.

“As residents ourselves of the greater Toronto area, we’re thrilled to have been selected to supply the city with vehicles that are so critical in protecting the safety of our residents, workers, and visitors,” said Pino Natale, Director of Emergency Vehicles, at Dependable Emergency Vehicles.

Safety was a top consideration when configuring the trucks, a process guided by National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) regulations. The custom pumpers feature the Spartan Advanced Protection System (APS), a holistic and smart occupant restraint and protection system designed specifically for emergency response vehicles. APS includes eight strategically placed airbags, and outboard sensors that feed into an intelligent restraint control module, providing sophisticated protection for the driver and occupants.

The pumpers also feature Spartan’s Mobile Gateway, acting as its own wireless hotspot and providing uninterrupted connectivity – even when the communications infrastructure is compromised. Other features of the trucks, such as pull-out steps and a low hose bed configuration enable easy access to pump controls, and safe deployment of hoses, in confined metro areas.

“Spartan has had a long commitment to providing innovations that protect firefighter safety, and the safety of the communities they serve. We’re pleased that these custom pumpers have met the exacting needs of the Toronto Fire Service,” said John Slawson, President of Spartan Emergency Response. 

1 Toronto Fire Services - Emergency Services. City of Toronto. 22 Feb. 2016. <http://www.toronto.ca/fire/>. 

About Spartan Motors

Spartan Motors, Inc. is a leading designer, engineer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty vehicles, specialty chassis, vehicle bodies and parts for the fleet and delivery, recreational vehicle (RV), emergency response, defense forces and contract assembly (light/medium duty truck: Class 3, 4 and 5) markets. The Company's brand names - Spartan Motors, Spartan Specialty Vehicles, Spartan Emergency Response, Spartan Parts and Accessories, and Utilimaster®, a Spartan Motors Company - are known for quality, durability, performance, customer service and first-to-market innovation. The Company employs approximately 1,700 associates at facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Indiana. Spartan reported sales of $507 million in 2014. Visit Spartan Motors at www.spartanmotors.com.

Contact:

Russell T. Chick
Corporate Director of Marketing
Spartan Motors, Inc.
517.997.3852