Buy American! Chinese order 94 emergency vehicles from Michigan maker

This brings the total number of Spartan emergency response cab and chassis purchased by Chinese communities to 94.

Spartan is providig emergency response cab and chassis units to Itasca, Ill.-based W.S. Darley & Co. in the fourth quarter of 2011 and first quarter of 2012 for the addition of the body and pump systems to fulfill the order.

The vehicles are scheduled for delivery to the Chinese fire departments by June.

"As a result of Spartan's customer-centric approach and innovative products, our strong domestic reputation is now creating incredible opportunities outside of North America," said Tom Gorman, chief operating officer of Spartan Motors.

"International customers such as these six Chinese fire departments are in need of unique, premium products that can only be found at Spartan Chassis. We are honored to once again work alongside W.S. Darley & Co. to provide customized vehicle solutions."

A company spokesman said each Metro Star chassis will be customized to conform to Chinese standards and features Spartan's cab design, which includes a flat floor, several seating configurations and raised roof.

The design provides up to 10 crew members with extended leg- and headroom, strong visibility and space for storage, along with the industry's tallest and widest cab doors, the widest steps and the lowest step heights for enhanced entrance and exit safety, according to a statement from Spartan.

W.S. Darley & Co. will installing a heavy-duty Compressed Air Foam System on several of the Spartan Chassis units. Thesystem features special pumps with the ability to pump water and foam to the top floors of buildings that are more than 300 meters tall.

Spartan Chassis Inc. is a subsidiary of Charlotte, Mich.-based Spartan Motors Inc. Spartan Motors Inc. designs, engineers and manufactures specialty chassis, specialty vehicles, truck bodies and aftermarket parts for the recreational vehicle, emergency response, government services, defense, and delivery and service markets.

Reach TN's Hawke Fracassa at [email protected]. Follow Hawke on Twitter @HawkeFracassa.

Image source: Spartan Chassis