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At what point should a fire truck go from a single axle to a tandem axle? It can be difficult to know. There are many factors to consider and mixed interpretations of axle ratings depending on who you ask. Because of this, axles have long presented a challenge for manufacturers. Thankfully, the experienced team at…

Bracebridge Fire Chief Murray Medley has always had a love of fire trucks. He was recruited to join Bracebridge 42 years ago by his brother-in-law, who was a volunteer firefighter with the department at the time. In 2000, Murray volunteered to take on the position of part-time fire chief. In 2007, when balancing the position…

AMDOR manufactures custom-built doors, Luma Bar lighting, and lifting systems for the emergency vehicle industry. AMDOR has enjoyed a relationship with Metalfab for over 25 years, and we appreciate the invitation to participate in one of the first editions of Metalfab Minutes. AMDOR and Metalfab are both actively involved in the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association…

Fire trucks are expensive. Breakdowns and their associated downtime can quickly add up, making the ownership of apparatus even more costly. This is why it’s important to plan for regular maintenance on all of your trucks so that costly situations like this don’t arise. Preventative maintenance ensures the unit is ready and fully functional when…

ISO 9001 is the highest standard in quality management certification. Companies holding this certification are dedicated to providing an excellent customer experience and consistently working to streamline processes and improve operational efficiency. The holistic ISO 9001 framework also fosters better management decision making by implementing a fact-based approach. This means the critical decisions that affect…

5 Common Mistakes on Requests for Tender At Metalfab, we sometimes see requests for tenders submitted with documents that appear to come straight from the Internet with little review or modification.  The information may be well out of date, not in conformance with a district’s local regulations and completely inappropriate for the requesting department’s needs. …

The Decision to Winterize Your Fire Truck Once the leaves have fallen from the trees and the air has become brisk, Metalfab experts often face questions by customers about the “right way” to winterize your primer.  Pumps can be run either “wet” or “dry” over the colder season and there are pros and cons to…

In the quickly contracting economic climate, municipal budgets are tight. With fire chiefs looking to save in whatever ways they can, it can be tempting to cut costs on purchases of expensive apparatus, including your truck‘’s chassis cab. Price is just one of the many facets you need to consider when choosing a chassis cab…

A lot of work goes into preparing a Request for Proposal document, or RFP, as you initiate the process of purchasing a new fire truck. It’s not something you want to waste time revising again and again when you find key pieces have been missed. At Metalfab, we want to make sure you get it…

Ask almost any career firefighter about volunteers on their force—as we did the other day while walking through our small town—and you will hear the same thing: the difficulty they’ve had recruiting volunteer firefighters in recent years. It’s a problem sweeping departments across the United States and Canada, and it puts a serious dent in…