PAC discuss “brackets built better”
Isabelle Crow
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PAC’s Vice-President of Sales & Customer Relations Tom Trzepacz outlines the company’s focus on secure tool storage, firefighter safety and operational efficiency
Firefighters depend on their tools to be ready, secure and accessible at every moment.
Yet with apparatus carrying increasingly complex loads and departments under pressure to do more with less, keeping equipment organised and safe has become a growing challenge.
Poor storage can damage expensive gear, slow down response, or even injure crew members if items shift in transit.
The stakes are high and departments are looking for solutions that combine reliability with ease of use.
Performance Advantage Company (PAC) has specialised in addressing these problems for more than 30 years, producing brackets and mounting systems that keep tools in place while supporting efficient operations.
The company’s designs are tested against real-world conditions and built to last the life of an apparatus, ensuring confidence in demanding environments.
PAC’s customers range from large departments managing entire fleets to smaller services adapting to shrinking space and shifting equipment needs.
At the centre of this approach is a commitment to simplicity, durability and responsiveness to evolving customer requirements.
By combining consistent design with ongoing innovation, PAC has positioned itself as a partner for those balancing tradition with the demands of modern response.
IFSJ Editor Iain Hoey sat down with Tom Trzepacz, Vice-President of Sales & Customer Relations at PAC, to discuss how secure tool mounting supports firefighter safety and effectiveness.
What role does reliable equipment storage play in supporting both firefighter safety and operational efficiency?
Our mounts are simple and quick to use. With our brackets, putting tools away is a fast, clean action. It is easy to see whether a bracket has a tool in it. If it is empty after a scene, you know something is missing.
Efficiency is the key. Firefighters need to grab a tool, get off the apparatus and put it to work. That is why brackets inside the cab are so important.
Tom Trzepacz
They must be mounted safe and secure to protect firefighters on the way to a call. If there is an accident, tools need to stay in their brackets so no one gets hurt.
Have you seen changes in customer requests or expectations compared to a few years ago?
The biggest change is the move to battery equipment. Rescue tools have shifted away from truck hydraulics to battery-powered models, with brands like Hurst, Holmatro, TNT and Amkus being our most common requests.
The same applies across categories – fans, drills, impacts, leaf blowers, saws. Departments want brackets that secure batteries with the tools and keep them ready to go.
We see fewer requests for gas and oil cans or large equipment. At the same time, apparatus are getting smaller or combining two vehicle roles into one.
Tom Trzepacz
Departments are trying to fit two trucks’ worth of gear on one rig, so organization matters. Our brackets give them a way to secure everything in place.
Apparatus are also taking on more defined roles. Some departments replace heavy rescues with smaller rescue-pump combinations but still want to carry the same tools.
Without effective mounting, that is difficult. We also hear from departments that go from six pieces of apparatus to four or five but want to maintain the same load.
Their requests are often about organising setups and using our systems to make it possible.
When customers need custom solutions, how do you work with them to ensure the right outcome?
We often have departments call looking for guidance on how to mount tools.
We tell them – whether it is the mechanic, chief or truck committee – they need to decide where everything goes, because they are the ones operating the truck.
We can guide on how to mount items, what fits where and what aligns with NFPA guidelines, but the end user has to lay out their compartments.
Tom Trzepacz
The biggest thing we do is take their tool list and match it to our brackets. If we do not have a solution, we say so rather than forcing a poor fit.
We would rather point them in another direction than steer them wrong. Usually, though, we have an answer.
We also work with them on layouts using our aluminium extrusion and tool boards. A lot of questions we get are about swing out tool boards, which are one of the bigger projects we do.
For example, over the wheel well of a truck you can sometimes put two swing outs, giving five mounting surfaces in one compartment – the back wall, plus both sides of two swing outs.
If you’re mounting large, deep tools you may only manage one swing out with the back wall, but if it’s mostly flat hand tools, you can take advantage of all five surfaces.
That really expands what people can fit.
Once customers start using our systems, especially the aluminium tool boards that let them move things around without drilling, they usually realise they have more room on the apparatus than they thought.
How do PAC’s systems help improve the day-to-day effectiveness and safety of fire crews and professionals?
We play a role from the planning of an apparatus through to how it is used on the fire ground. Every piece of equipment should be mounted and we want to be the partner that provides that solution.
We put effort into engineering, design and development to come up with answers that work every day. Many of us are firefighters ourselves.
Tom Trzepacz
We bring an apparatus in and actually test our brackets with fire gloves on to make sure they work in real scenarios and help crews do the job quicker, because seconds and minutes matter in firefighting and EMS.
This is why we like to be involved from the ground up when an apparatus is being built and integrated with the manufacturer, so the customer gets a truck set for life.
We have also helped when someone buys a 10- or 20-year-old apparatus that never had tool mounting or needs it redone and we have seen everything in between.
We always encourage effective tool mounting systems – whether that is our brackets on their own or paired with our tool boards – because that keeps equipment where it belongs and ready to go.
What current PAC projects or product initiatives are you most excited about and why?
We have a couple things in the works. The biggest is a new Ironslok coming at the start of 2026. We have been working on it for about a year. Right now we offer two versions, the original and the HD.
In early 2026 there will be one Ironslok serving the needs of both versions and a little better than either. We are excited to launch it while keeping the simplicity.
It will also make ordering simpler. Right now some users are unsure which one to pick. This will streamline it and do the same job.
Tom Trzepacz
It will be NFPA compliant, mountable inside the truck and provide safety and security while being quick to deploy.
What are PAC’s main areas of focus for the future and how are you preparing for 2026?
For 2026 we are lining up the trade show calendar. FDIC will be a big one and we have a full slate because we want to grow our presence in a few other sectors while staying strong in the fire industry.
On the product side, much like the Ironslok project, we are looking at our most common and well-known brackets and asking how to make them better.
We always have new bracket ideas in development, but we also want to improve the products people already rely on.
We listen closely to feedback from customers at shows and on the phone, good and bad and feed that into engineering.
Tom Trzepacz
That helps us spot where a bracket might be missing something or where a small change could make it more useful.
For 2026 we will review core brackets to see what we can upgrade and we will also introduce new designs where we see gaps in the line.