Roof-top readiness: Prime Design Europe transforms fire vehicle storage
Iain Hoey
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Koen Bessemans, Chief Commercial Officer at Prime Design Europe, explains how ergonomic rooftop storage systems improve safety, speed and accessibility for modern fire and rescue vehicles
The space above the cab of a fire vehicle is often left unused, but Prime Design Europe (PDE) has turned it into a working part of the vehicle.
By developing storage systems that lower heavy equipment to waist height in seconds, PDE is helping reduce strain on crews and speed up the job of getting ready at the scene.
The systems, available in both manual and electric versions, are built to carry up to 500kg while adding minimal weight to the vehicle.
Used on everything from vans and pickups to full-size pumps, they’re the result of ongoing collaboration with emergency services across Europe.
In this interview, PDE’s Chief Commercial Officer Koen Bessemans explains how the company is addressing practical challenges with simple, engineered solutions.
For readers new to the company, how would you summarise PDE’s work with fire and rescue vehicles?
PDE, Prime Design Europe, was founded 19 years ago.
In the US, Prime Design has existed for over 40 years.
The founder, Avi Levy, started in the US building an ergonomic ladder loading system for light commercial vehicles.
Twenty years ago, I started the European operation with him.
Our first contact with the fire industry came in countries where the first intervention vehicle is a van.
They were buying our ladder racks for vans or pickups to load and unload ladders on top.
Later, when we developed electric versions, we received requirements to build systems for fire trucks.
That is why we have been active in this business in recent years.
It is now an additional, separate business unit with a full range of products from the LCV or pickup where we started to heavy fire trucks and even airport vehicles.
What typical problems do firefighters report when retrieving equipment from the roof of an appliance?
Firefighters are always in a rush when unloading at the scene.
When they drive back it is not so time pressured.
That urgency was the first reason for interest in our products and also ergonomics and health and safety for the firefighter.
Coming from industrial clients, our focus was always ergonomics, health and safety and safe operation when unloading ladders from vans.
In some countries, it is already prohibited for a firefighter to climb on the truck to take material.
We bring the material down to a reachable height, not always to the ground, but to where it can be accessed safely.
How does an ergonomic approach translate into real reductions in strain or injury for crews?
Ergonomics has always been the main driver for our company.
We keep close contact with firefighters to understand how they operate and what materials they have to transport.
It is always a combination of the vehicle and the material to be loaded and unloaded.
If the vehicle is a high 4×4 that goes off road, we need to lower equipment further.
We started as a ladder rack manufacturer, but now we have applications where no ladder needs to be loaded.
That is why we keep contact with the user, the firefighter, even though we never sell to them directly.
Our clients are the conversion companies who build the fire truck or the van.
PDE offers both manual and electric options; what factors help a brigade decide which system is best?
The limitation of a manual system is usually not the product’s strength but the operator’s ability to handle it.
A manual system must be feasible to manipulate.
In some cases, they choose manual not for cost reasons but because it is faster to bring down.
It can be harder to push back up, but when packing to return to base they are less under the gun.
The choice between manual and electric depends on the material, the truck type and the application.
Weight limits are strict on modern vehicles – how do your racks combine durability with low mass?
Weight is more important in vans than in a fire truck, not only because of capacity to carry but also because of the driver’s licence category.
There are more restrictions for vans.
Still, maximum capacity matters and the lighter we make our system, the more equipment they can take.
We make everything in house from aluminium.
We have our own production facility and about 150 proprietary extrusions used to build both the mechanism and what we call the top build, the part holding the material in place.
Can you talk us through the adjustable deployment angles and how they help during a live incident?
We have different angles to bring down the system.
The choice is driven by what is most convenient for the operator and by the product.
A ladder might be brought fully vertical so one person can carry it.
For hoses or other materials there is no advantage to bringing it so low, as they need to be pulled out.
Shoulder height is often the ideal ergonomic position.
Firefighters usually work as a team to carry equipment.
Feedback from the field matters – what have crews said about training time and ease of use?
In some projects we receive a pile of equipment and are asked to figure out how to carry it and how to make a device.
We discuss, learn and sometimes go back to the drawing board.
It also depends on what the truck is used for.
For a first intervention vehicle we made here in Belgium, it was very important that all material was individually accessible without removing anything else.
As a first intervention vehicle, they do not know their mission until they are on the way, so more used items must be placed in the most accessible positions.
Part of our engineering is to develop, apart from the mechanism, the top build: the device to hold different equipment securely and in the right order for quick access.
Looking ahead, how might roof-mounted storage develop as appliances and operational risks continue to change?
We keep listening to our user’s needs.
Different equipment often requires different holders.
We have recently developed a system to load and unload equipment to the side of the vehicle.
This is used when there is a crane in the back and there is no possibility to bring it down to the back and on larger vans like diver vehicles to take off stretchers or a small boat to the side without climbing on the roof.
We already have a few prototypes in operation, with launch planned for the beginning of next year.