April 2002

Saulsbury Fire Rescue Replaces Units Lost In 9-11
with State-of-the-Art Trucks

The first fire and rescue replacement vehicle completed for FDNY was delivered to New York City's distinguished Rescue Co. 1 which lost half its members exactly seven months earlier in the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Saulsbury Fire Rescue received a contract from FDNY to replace five heavy-duty rescue vehicles, two tactical vehicles, two high rise rescues and one satellite pumper destroyed that day. In addition, Saulsbury will be replacing a number of specialized emergency vehicles for the NYPD. All of the units will be custom built by Saulsbury at its Cortland, NY facility.

Rescue Co. 1, the oldest fire department in the country, housed on West 43rd Street in Manhattan, was presented the first custom-built vehicle by Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Noël Forgeard, at an April 11 fire house ceremony attended by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scopetta and Senator James Seward, as well as the families of unit members who died on September 11.

Forgeard said Toulouse, France-based Airbus "takes pride in delivering the finest, state-of-the-art rescue vehicle to the Fire Department of New York and the families of Rescue Co. 1. This gift is from the heart. We salute you and remind you that every time this truck rolls, the 46,000 employees of Airbus, people you do not even know, will be riding with you." The $750,000 Rescue One apparatus and the $450,000 Police Department lighting truck, now under construction by Saulsbury, are part of a $2 million donation Airbus made to New York City and to the family funds established by American Airlines and United Air Lines in the names of crew members lost last September.

"The members of Rescue Co. 1 spend their lives in this truck," said Guiliani at the event," and it is the finest of its kind anywhere, with the equipment and technology in it. The people who built it should be proud. Every time I see this truck I hope I can help wipe out the image of Ground Zero and know that we're going to carry on and be better."

"It was a tremendous honor to join the officials of Saulsbury as they presented a new fire and rescue vehicle to New York's Rescue Company No. 1. We in Cortland can be especially proud that the replacement vehicle was built right here in Cortland County by a company known for its excellence and commitment to quality -- Saulsbury. We were moved by the gratitude and appreciation of New York City's fire officials and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. We can be assured, as the City's fire department is, that when there is a fire or disaster in New York, the finest in equipment will be on the scene to protect and save lives and property."

Before the attacks on New York City, the firefighters of Rescue Co. 1 and Captain Terry Hatton had been developing a design for a new truck to replace the 17-year-old unit then in service. Captain Terry Hatton and 10 men from the unit died on September 11. To honor their memory, Airbus teamed with Saulsbury Fire Rescue to build the rig. A plaque with the names of the lost firefighters of Rescue Co. 1 is mounted in the truck. The word, "Outstanding," which was Captain Hatton’s motto, is emblazoned in 24-karat gold leaf on the front of the truck. Rescue Co. 1 is known all over the world for its high level of training for dangerous rescue missions.

The new Rescue Co. 1 rig carries specialized equipment including scuba diving gear, high angle rope and confined space rescue apparatus, as well as tools for collapse operations and automobile and machinery extrication. It contains about 10,000 pounds of tools, about double that of a typical rescue vehicle, allowing it to respond to about 35,000 calls a year.

New York City Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scopetta noted, "There's a reason this truck means so much to Rescue Co. 1. This truck is their single most important piece of equipment. On behalf of the 11,000 firefighters of FDNY, I thank you. We've been eagerly looking forward to this day."

Officials from Saulsbury who traveled to New York City to personally deliver the truck said that there was a tremendous amount of honor for both the company and the Saulsbury family in being associated with the project. "There's a huge sense of pride from the people in the factory who built this," said Eric Saulsbury, sales and marketing manager. The 34-foot-long-truck was handcrafted in less than six months -- about half the time it typically takes to complete such a complicated piece of machinery.

Rescue Two is in the final assembly stage at Saulsbury and should be ready for delivery shortly. Four identical prototypes of the Rescue One vehicle are in various stages of construction at Saulsbury 140,000 sq. ft. facility which employs 227 at its plant in Cortland County.