In response to the demands of fire departments across the country, US Fire Apparatus was formed to build and deliver heavy-duty fire apparatus, quickly. Through existing relationships and feedback from fire professionals, Chris has listened and arranged the key elements that will help departments quickly obtain new fire trucks while receiving the customer service they deserve.
Chris’ History
Raised in rural Louisiana, in 1976 Chris graduated from High School in Baton Rouge, LA and went on to the Local Union 198 Plumbers and Pipefitters Apprentice School. He quickly followed his father’s footsteps by joining the union and getting a job as a pipefitter and fabricator working in several industrial facilities.
During this time, Chris became a firefighter with the Central Volunteer Fire Department in East Baton Rouge Parish. He quickly realized that working for a small volunteer fire department presented many challenges to secure quality fire apparatus. A lack of funds prevented the CVFD from having a properly functioning fire truck and emergency response equipment. Chris recognized that both firefighters and the Central community were at risk without being properly equipped.
Seeing the need for a new fire truck, Chris used his pipefitting and fabricating experience to build a tanker/pumper in an old barn of another department member. Starting with a GMC cab and chassis, Chris and his fellow firefighters built the body, installed the pump and plumbing, and delivered a new fire apparatus to CVFD. Chris’ first fire truck exceeded expectations by providing reliable response capabilities to the citizens of Central for years.
With a new truck under his belt, Chris turned his focus on the shortage of fire and rescue equipment in the area. Noticing there were not any businesses that sold fire and rescue equipment in his region, Chris took it upon himself to fill the need by starting his own fire equipment business. Chris embarked on traveling around selling equipment out of the trunk of his car. Serving the much-needed supply of new fire equipment to local departments, Chris’ business exploded in growth. Chris gained important insight into the local firefighting scene and established many long-lasting relationships with regional and ultimately national fire departments.
Expanding upon his already successful fire equipment business, in 1988 Chris started manufacturing his own brand of fire apparatus.
Chris’ fire apparatus company enjoyed tremendous success by building manufacturing and delivering over 6,000 fire trucks to municipal and industrial fire departments across the country and around the world. That success did not come easy; however, it was a result of listening to his customers, creating a team of expert builders, providing excellent customer service, never compromising on quality or performance, and breaking through all barriers of innovation and limitations placed in front of him.
During these thirty years of building fire apparatus, Chris began to see a need for innovation and change in another field of firefighting – industrial firefighting. Seeing that the performance capabilities of industrial fire apparatus and equipment were limited to old standard pump designs, Chris developed a game-changing High Velocity Pump that could push water at over 6,000 GPM. These groundbreaking, innovative pumps have greatly increased the volume and distance big water can be delivered by an apparatus.
Through experience and innovative design, Chris focused on what was possible with big water fire applications and addressing the needs of industrial fire departments. He started a new company, US Fire Pump. In 2014 Chris challenged his engineering staff to push the limits of water flow by creating new fire equipment that leveraged the High Velocity Pump, large diameter hose, submersible pressurized pumps, and large monitors.
