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Hillsdale Rural Fire Department Buys Contender By Pierce -- First New Fire Apparatus In 63 Years
Release Date : June 4, 2009
 

June 4, 2009 - Appleton, WI – Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) company, today announced it has delivered a Contender® by Pierce custom pumper to the Hillsdale Rural Fire Department in Hillsdale, Mich. With the assistance of a FEMA grant, the department purchased its first new apparatus in 63 years. Prior to this, the department had purchased pre-owned vehicles.

“One of my first priorities as chief was to upgrade our apparatus as the latest vehicle we needed to replace was a pre-owned 1969 vintage pumper with an open back cab. We applied for FEMA grants three years in a row, and I guess the third time was the charm,” said Jimmie VanDusen, Hillsdale Rural Fire Department fire chief. “We looked at other brands, but the Contender custom pumper best fit our needs – especially its seating for six and operator-friendly top mount pump panel design.”  

The versatile Contender custom pumper is engineered to meet the wide-ranging demands of rural Hillsdale County. The vehicle features a 189-inch wheelbase, GVW rating of 40,000 lbs., 370 hp engine, a 6-speed automatic transmission and a raised roof cab for six firefighters. The firefighting systems include a powerful 1250 GPM single stage pump with stainless steel plumbing, 19-inch extended front bumper with hose tray, 1,000 gallon poly water tank with a lifetime warranty, and a hosebed capacity of 1500-feet of 2.5-inch hose and 400-feet of 1.5-inch hose.

“The Contender by Pierce line of firefighting apparatus is recognized for its tremendous value and quality,” said Wilson Jones, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. “It’s especially gratifying for us that Hillsdale Rural Department chose Contender when their opportunity to get a new fire truck finally became a reality.”

The Hillsdale Rural Fire Department is comprised of one station and 15 volunteer firefighters. The department is located just outside the city limits of Hillsdale, Mich., the county seat for Hillsdale County in the south central portion of the state bordering Indiana and Ohio. The area is home to Hillsdale College, plus numerous industrial, commercial and residential developments. Halt Fire, Inc. of Wixom, Mich., is the Pierce dealer serving all of lower Michigan and the eastern portions of the Upper Peninsula.

About Pierce Manufacturing

Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, is the leading North American manufacturer of custom fire apparatus. Products include custom and commercial pumpers, aerials, rescue trucks, wildland trucks, minipumpers, elliptical tankers, and homeland security apparatus. In addition, Pierce designs its own foam systems and was the first company to introduce frontal airbags and the Side Roll Protection system to fire apparatus. To learn more about Pierce visit www.piercemfg.com

 

About Oshkosh Corporation

Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corp. manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Medtec®, Jerr-Dan®, BAI®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline, SMIT, Geesink, Norba, Kiggen, CON-E-CO®, London® and IMT®. Oshkosh products are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are paramount. Visit www.oshkoshcorporation.com for more information about Oshkosh Corporation.

 

®, ™ All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.

 

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains statements that the Company believes to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “project” or “plan” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include the consequences of financial leverage associated with the JLG acquisition, including the level of the Company’s borrowing costs, the increased interest rates the Company would face if it experienced a deterioration or downgrade in credit agency ratings and the Company’s ability to maintain compliance with its financial covenants under its credit agreement; the cyclical nature of the Company’s access equipment, commercial and fire & emergency markets, especially during a global recession and credit crisis; the duration of the global recession and its adverse impact on the Company’s share price, which could lead to additional impairment charges related to many of the Company’s intangible assets; the expected level and timing of U.S. Department of Defense procurement of products and services and funding thereof; risks related to reductions in government expenditures and the uncertainty of government contracts; the potential for commodity costs to rise sharply in a future economic recovery; risks associated with international operations and sales, including foreign currency fluctuations; the Company’s ability to close the sale of its Geesink business on its expected timetable; risks related to the collectability of receivables during a recession, particularly for those businesses with exposure to construction markets; and the potential for increased costs relating to compliance with changes in laws and regulations. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

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