Nashville FD Moves from Commercial to Custom Chassis
02.26.15
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Breda, Iowa - Men and women in the emergency services' field trust your lives and safety, as well as their own, to their teammates and the equipment they rely on every day. So, who do they trust when it comes time to update and replace that equipment? Other men and women in the industry.
This is exactly who the Nashville Fire Department turned to when they began their search for 13 new Pumpers. This large department serves Davidson County, Tennessee, staffing 39 fire stations through the Fire Suppression Bureau and Emergency Medical Services. To service this area, they utilizes over 80 vehicles, including 23 advanced life support units. With their specific needs in mind, the Nashville Fire Department began carefully shopping for the equipment and the team that could meet the demands of their division.
They reached out to dealer, Gulf States Apparatus Sales, LLC for a list of five reference departments, but Gulf States' representative, John Lovell, did something a little unorthodox. He opened up an entire contact list of Toyne, Inc. customers. The Nashville Fire Department got right to work on that list and found themselves making more than just five calls.
"Nearly all of our Toyne customers offer to answer questions for departments shopping for new apparatus; so this is a pretty comprehensive list," Lovell explained. "The Nashville department called a lot of people for testimonials and they gathered great information. But what impressed them most was that they could not find one person who was unhappy with their Toyne Tailored Apparatus purchase."
After hearing what other departments had to say, Nashville began to research Toyne in-depth to learn more about their products, their people and their processes.
"One of the things the Nashville Fire Department wanted was to make a move from commercial chassis to custom chassis," Lovell said. "Many apparatus manufacturers use commercial chassis, but at Toyne, there are more options. For example, Spartan Chassis offer many more safety features than competitors, and the Toyne team can work with the department to engineer and build bodies that deliver exactly what they need."
Nashville also indicated that they were looking for a more personalized relationship with their equipment manufacturer as well.
"Dealing with a large corporation has its challenges," said Lovell. "Toyne is a quality, family-owned business with hands-on owners who know about great service. They are accessible, you can talk directly to the owner without having to wait days for a call-back. It is even the norm for the customer to be given the owner's cell phone number. This service model begins at the top and is carried through to each department and it is clearly evident that every employee takes ownership and great pride in what they do. And, they do it well."
The research conducted and the testimonials received by this department has resulted in a fleet order for the Breda, Iowa emergency apparatus manufacturer. The Nashville Fire Department placed an order for the purchase of those 13 customized Pumper trucks, and has taken it one step further.
"In addition to this fleet order, the Nashville Fire Department has signed a five-year commitment for any new Pumpers needed in that time frame." explained Michael Schwabe, president and CEO of Toyne, Inc. "For the entire Toyne team, there is no greater satisfaction than knowing that these brave men and women place that level of trust in us. This is what drives us to go above and beyond in the apparatus we build and the commitment we make to our customers."
Lovell added that he is confident that the Nashville Fire Department will be another satisfied Toyne customer as he has seen this level of quality and consistency in every Toyne Tailored Apparatus sale.
"Each time we order a truck, we do a final inspection prior to delivery," he said. "With the majority of other manufacturers, there will be a list of 20 or so items that need to be addressed before the vehicle can be delivered. With Toyne, the most I have ever seen is two. To me, that is what exemplifies their dedication, their drive and their commitment to building relationships. What truly sets them apart in this industry is that the dealers, the firefighters and the emergency service personal all become members of the Toyne family."