On Wednesday evening June 7th East Brandywine Fire Company volunteers took the evening to focus on the design and development of the new Engine and Ladder.

The evenings focus was twofold. First Dave Kiernan from Valor Firefighter Seats in Exton PA provided an overview of their seating options for the new fire apparatus. Valor is part of USSC group who provides seating applications for both the military and mass transit operations. The apparatus committee members recently met Valor representatives in Harrisburg and liked the idea of working with a local company if possible.

After reviewing seating options, the apparatus committee provided an overview and update on the Committees progress. More importantly the Committee was focused on providing the active crew an opportunity to have input into the design of the new trucks. According to Assistant Chief Vince D'Amico "this was important to us because we want to have our team feel like they have ownership in the new trucks".

Additionally it provided a learning opportunity for all those involved regarding not only the design build process but also to the magnitude of the decision making that goes on when purchasing a truck. Lieutenant PJ Groff probably summed it up best when he said "this is a unique opportunity to have a chance to have input into the development of a truck that you will utilize".

Special thanks to Stephanie Dal Ferro from Valor Seats for facilitating this collaborative opportunity.