Firefighter equipment mounting: evolving products for the future

Performance Advantage Company is redesigning firefighter equipment mounting systems while investing in engineering, digital tools and production capacity

When we last spoke with Thomas J. Trzepacz, Vice President of Sales & Customer Relations at Performance Advantage Company (PAC), at FDIC in April, the company was gathering feedback from firefighters, OEM partners and other industry stakeholders.

Since then, that feedback has translated into a series of developments across the business, from redesigned mounting solutions and enhanced engineering capabilities to a new website and plans for a substantially larger facility.

For Trzepacz, the common thread connecting those developments is the company’s focus on responding to the changing needs of the fire service. “At FDIC this year, we got a lot of feedback from both the end users as well as our OEM partners about things they’d like to see as well as improvements on our current line,” he says.

PAC has since been meeting with its product development team to assess that feedback and determine how it can improve existing products while developing new solutions.

From firefighter feedback to equipment mounting redesign

As the tools carried by firefighters evolve, mounting systems designed around particular brands or configurations can become less suitable. PAC is looking to develop solutions that can accommodate a wider range of equipment.

“We’re always looking to be a little bit more universal,” Trzepacz explains. “Our original designs were more specific for different brands or different tools. So, we try to take that generic approach.” That approach is being applied to products including axe pockets and hooks, while the company is also examining how it can reduce the footprint of some existing brackets.

“We’re looking to update our axe pockets and some of our hooks to make them more universal because everything’s changing.” The need for adaptability is apparent in rescue and forcible entry equipment, with manufacturers continuing to introduce new tools and configurations.

“Every year at FDIC, there’s a new design, a new tool, a different shape or size,” Trzepacz says.

The company therefore needs to ensure its products can evolve alongside the equipment being carried on fire apparatus. “We try to keep that generic approach, but we have to adapt to keep up with that because there’s not a lot out there to mount the tools and equipment.”

For Trzepacz, this feedback-led approach is fundamental to the company’s development process. “90% of why we do what we do is the feedback from the end users as well as our customers and dealers, because they’re out there using the equipment.

“We have a lot of firefighters that work here. So, we do testing and different things on some of the local fire apparatus.” One of the clearest examples of that approach is the company’s redesigned Ironslok HD.

PAC develops a new generation of Ironslok HD

The original Ironslok was developed more than 20 years ago around the traditional axe and Halligan combination. Since then, the forcible entry tools carried by firefighters have evolved, with alternative equipment becoming increasingly common.

“Over time, people started to come up with new tools and different ways to marry a set of irons,” Trzepacz says. “Other tools became more preferred as opposed to the axe and the Halligan, but the firefighters still wanted them carried in the cab of the truck.”

PAC had introduced an HD model to provide another option but decided that the two-product approach needed reconsidering. “Over time, the HD1 was very costly for people and the standard version just wasn’t working. So, we went back to the drawing board.”

The result is the 2026 Ironslok HD, which replaces both the previous Ironslok and Ironslok HD. The development process involved gathering feedback and testing a range of tools to ensure the new bracket could accommodate more configurations. “We sampled many tools from the industry, both axes and Halligans and all the versions of them that we could really get our hands on.”

The new design features smaller heads at either end, reducing its footprint while continuing to protect the tools.

“They’re slightly smaller than the original HD, so they take up less of a footprint, but they’re configured a little bit better.” The centre strap uses PAC’s Fast Lock Adjust-A-Mount system, while the bracket uses the company’s 7,050 Pack Track Mini Track mounting system. Safety was another important consideration in the redesign, particularly given the way some tools could protrude from the previous configuration.

“On the old version, the axes would stick out of the pocket, so it would still be exposed to sharp objects. The centre strap might not always fit because of the configuration of how it’s mounted.” The new Ironslok HD has undergone NFPA testing and is 9G certified.

Modernising firefighter equipment product development

The Ironslok redesign is taking place alongside a wider modernisation of PAC’s engineering operation. The company’s senior engineer recently retired after being with the business almost since its inception.

PAC has subsequently brought in a new engineer who previously worked with the company through a local high school internship programme. The appointment comes as the company upgrades the tools it uses to design and develop its products.

“On that side of things, we’re updating a lot of our software, our 3D model capabilities,” Trzepacz says. The aim is to make the company’s R&D operation more efficient and better equipped to respond to changing customer requirements. “We’re really modernising a lot of our R&D and bringing it to the forefront. That way we can really work on designing and developing products for the industry a little easier.”

That modernisation extends beyond the systems used internally to develop products and into how it presents its offering to customers.

PAC launches a new digital platform for customers

Earlier this year, the company launched a new website, creating a more accessible digital platform for its customers and end users. It has been designed for modern digital use, including mobile devices, while providing clearer information about the company’s products.

It is also intended to reach customers who may not yet be familiar with the company but are looking for solutions to mount their tools and equipment. “We like to use that as a resource for our customers, our end users and specifically people who really don’t know about us but are searching for ways to mount their tools and equipment.”

With product descriptions and clearer contact information, the website is intended to provide a more direct route to its customer service team and dealer network.

Building production capacity for firefighter equipment growth

The company’s modernisation is also taking shape physically, with a major expansion of its operating footprint now underway. PAC has purchased a new facility just a few miles from its current location in Lancaster, New York, allowing it to remain in the area while significantly expanding its footprint.

“The facility is really tripling, if not more, the footprint of our current location,” Trzepacz says. “We’ll be able to do a lot more customisation on tool boards. We’re going to add a couple additional saws.”

The additional warehouse space will allow the company to hold more stock, while greater production space will increase its ability to customise tool boards and improve its manufacturing flow.

The new facility will also address some of the logistical limitations of the current site, including restricted access for larger vehicles. A loading dock and overhead doors will allow fire apparatus to be brought inside for loading, installations and troubleshooting.

More space will also allow it to build inventory further ahead of demand. “We have a lot of our OEMs give us dated orders, sometimes almost a year in advance,” Trzepacz explains.

At present, limited floor and rack space means the company can only work around two weeks ahead on those orders. Trzepacz says the new facility will expand that capacity.

The additional capacity should allow it to prepare scheduled orders during quieter periods, while retaining the ability to respond to unexpected large orders. The company expects to formally announce the move once a firm transition date has been confirmed, with that announcement expected before the end of the year.

New firefighter equipment products planned for FDIC 2027

It’s fitting that just as the interview started with a focus on FDIC 2026, the company now has its sights firmly set on the 2027 edition, with more news expected to come. “As far as new products or redesigns, they’re probably going to be held until FDIC 2027,” Trzepacz says.

“We’d like to have fresh products for that.” For PACToolMounts, the period between FDIC 2026 and FDIC 2027 is therefore set to be one of continued development, with customer feedback, product redesign, engineering investment and increased production capacity all working towards the same goal.