Summit Brings Innovation To Air And Light

Summit Fire Apparatus remains family owned and operated and committed to providing quality apparatus.  At Summit, we won’t try to put you in a cookie cutter truck.  We pride ourselves on the fact that we can work within your budget without sacrificing innovative ideas.  Our customers tell us what they need and we make it happen. 

In 2007 we added a new line of attack to the elements of fire and water with our air and light vehicle.  Our SCBA breathing air and light vehicle is built on an International 4400 2-door.  It has a 16’ Equipment body - 6 compartments and refill station, IH Engine 330 HP, exhaust brake retarder, Mako compressor, 100 KV Marathon Electric Lima Mac generator.  The Hale driveline transfer case is installed inside the frame rails.  Our brushed stainless steel operations panel is located inside the fill and operations compartment.  It includes all necessary controls and instruments for compressor and fill station operation.  Other equipment includes SCBA cylinder sequencer (which you have to see in operation to fully appreciate), totally enclosed fragmentation station capable of charging 2 SCBA cylinders

simultaneously while 2 others are attached and ready to revolve in, 28 bottle SCBA cylinder storage, Kussmaul pump plus super package.  Lights include 2 Wilburt Night Scan light towers, 8 GFE extend-a-lights, 2 Hannay 300’ Air hose reels, 2 Hannay 300’ electric reels and recessed into the body head rail, 3 1000-watt FRC Focus lights.  The compartments have LED lights and ROM roll-up doors.  Rud tire chains and a Weldon Brand rear vision camera complete the package.

We have been building quality, affordable custom fire trucks for over 50 years.  Charles Messmer started the company with a 1956 Ford pick-up truck, a portable welder, determination and God-given talent.  The company has changed and grown since then.  But we hang onto the idea that listening to our customer is key.  Our current line of apparatus includes Heavy Rescue Trucks, Mini-Rescues, Haz-Mat Units, Brush Trucks, Pumpers, Tankers/Tenders and Air & Light Vehicles.  Our service department is available 24 hours a day.  In addition to preventative maintenance, we do repair and collision work as well as refurbishment of older units.

After 50 years of manufacturing fire trucks and fighting fires, we have the expertise to build a safe and functional apparatus that will serve your department for years to come. 

In 1957 Charley Messmer, an accomplished welder and steel fabricator, decided to quit working for others and go into business for himself. He purchased a portable welder and a leftover 1956 Ford F-250.  After installing a welding machine and some fabricated compartments, he set out to make his mark on the world.  He was successful at building the business but at the expense of the F-250.  It was used, abused, and put away wet so many times that the rust had all but taken over.  Non-the-less, it was only a work truck and he had a business to build.

In 1966 Charley purchased a new pickup and since one of his sons had just acquired his diver’s license, Charley decided a good way to keep Joe off the streets, was to give the old F-250 to him with the promise to “fix it up”.  Joe was determined to make the old F-250 spiffy again, so with limited funds and a couple gallons of a newly discovered product, bondo, he got to work.  The old 223 6-cylinder was just worn out, so he did a mail order from Sears & Roebuck for a rebuilt 223.  Then, he repainted the meadow-mist green truck a baby blue.

The Old 57 was passed from brother to brother, but stayed in the family. 

Well the truck got Joe to and from high school and after graduation it took him to his job and back, but he had difficulties attracting dates in the old F-250.  So he traded it to his brother, Jim, for a 64 Corvair.

Jim used the truck to haul things like manure and dirt around his acreage.  In 1991 while visiting his brother, Joe saw the old F-250 and asked about its condition.  Jim said the throw-out bearing was bad and he had not gotten around to fixing it.  Joe told his brother that if he ever decided to part with the old F-250 that he would like to restore it again.  As fate would have it, shortly after that conversation, the county ordered Jim to remove the “abandoned” pick-up truck from his property.  So, Jim called Joe to see if he still wanted it.  Much to Joe’s wife’s displeasure, he got the old F-250.  The truck sat for another 12 years before he had enough time and money to do the restoration. 

In October of 2004 Joe and his son, Mark, started dismantling the old F-250, they stripped the old boy all the way to the frame.  The only things that did not come apart were the rivets that held the cross members together. They had the cab dipped to remove the rust, and when it came back there wasn’t much of it left.  In fact, many people said they would not fix it, and advised them to replace it.

Joe inherited some of his father’s talent for fabricating, and he wanted to tackle this project.  He replaced all 4-cab corners and fabricated pieces to reinforce the structure.  He reattached the cab floor and three-fourths of the cab-to-roof connection.  Seeing how little material was left holding the roof on was almost enough to make a grown man cry.  Then he discovered that there were no parts manufactured to fix the situation.  A friend had an idea to use Wheel House flanging from an automotive store.  The sheet metal piece was sheared and pressed into the rain gutter to reattach the roof.  The old boy needed 4 new fenders and a new 8’ bed, which has a story all its own. It was at this point that Joe became aware of how little he actually knew about pick-up truck restoration, in his own words, “I didn’t know Jack-crap”, but he knew about networking and he liked to talk to people who knew about trucks. Long story short, today when you look at the bed of the truck your attention immediately goes to the Bruce Horkey red-oak floor with wow stripes and stainless steel tailgate chains. The fact is it took one left side, 3 right sides, some fabricating, a little cutting, and 2 welds to get there.  The bed has been depicted as a piece of fine furniture, that is what matters.  The 223 cubic inch, 6-cylinder engine was rebuilt and electronic ignition installed.  A new 5-row radiator and a pusher-fan will keep the 223 cool when the air-conditioner is on. Joe gets plenty of comments about how well the A/C is hidden.  With a little ingenuity and an Old Air electric control package, it was easy.  The installation of the old heater cover with a piece of radiator for a simulated core has them all wondering.  A Toyota power steering box with a Ford pump was added.  The radio was updated from tubes to transistors.  The in-cab gas tank was removed and Joe built a new stainless steel tank behind the rear end.  Gas is introduced through a Hagan hidden door.  A power brake booster helps the old boy stop on a dime.  New bearings were added to the original heavy-duty 3-on-the-tree transmission, while the Dana 60 rear end got a little speeder with a 3.55 ratio addition.  The old 17.5-inch tires and wheels were upgraded to 16-inch radials. The front and rear bumpers were repaired and reinstalled.  Since Charley welded the pipes on the front to hold wide-load flags and he added the angle to the rear for a hitch, it just felt right that those go back on instead of some new bumpers. 

The company that Charley founded has changed a little.  Now instead of general welding and fabricating we are constructing fire trucks, from the ground up, in a 31,000 square foot facility.  So, it only seemed fitting to paint the old boy red and install 2 red flashing lights and a B/M coaster siren.

21 months, a lot of sweat, a little blood, a few tears, a couple of dollars and a tremendous amount of fun went into the restoration.  The result, pure satisfaction!

Let’s Talk Trash

Summit Fire Apparatus introduced the fire industry to an extended front bumper at FDIC 2001.  We extended the front bumper 12” and constructed boxes containing 2 hydraulic reels with pre-connected tools. 

It must have been a great idea, we watched engineer after engineer photograph, sketch and measure our bumper.  In part thanks to Summit Fire Apparatus innovation, front bumper extensions have become common place.  Straight rescues with front bumper hose reels and tool storage have been showing up all over town.  Any why not, it makes perfect sense to put the tools you need first up front, within easy reach and ready to use. 

There is one component of our front bumper extension that our competitors still can’t seem to get right, the trash line.  Our front bumper extension also has a quick attack 2" front discharge or trash line with 50 to 200 feet of hose.  That’s right, 2 hydraulic reels with pre-connected tools on one side of the front bumper and a trash line attached to as much hose as you need on the other side. 

The front bumper is secured to the truck’s frame, no worries about the weight, and all compartment lids are water tight to protect your equipment. 

Now Summit is raising the bar.  We have added a 12,000 lb winch with 125 feet of cable.  The winch is accessed by simply removing the tools and lifting a hinged lid below the tool storage area.  Let’s see them try to copy this!!

In 2007 Summit Fire Apparatus celebrated its 50th Anniversary.  Our first piece of fire equipment, a tanker, was constructed in 1957 by Charles Messmer, company founder, then fire chief of the local fire department and the father of our current owners.  The company remains family owned and operated and committed to providing quality, economy and innovation.  Summit Fire Apparatus is truly a custom fire apparatus manufacturer, we build the units that the larger companies can’t or won’t.  We have found that listening to our customer is key.  With 50 years of manufacturing and fire fighting experience we have the expertise to build a safe and functional apparatus that will serve your department for years to come. 

Charles Messmer started the company under the name of Summit Welding and Fabricating in 1957. Using his experience in fabricating and being a founding father and fire chief of the local fire department, Charles constructed the first fire unit, a Tanker, later that same year.

Two of Charles's sons immediately followed in their father's footsteps and came to work at Summit after school. Joe and Tom Messmer began learning the trade of welding and fabricating from their father and assumed current ownership after Charlie's passing in 1969.

In 1975, Summit Welding and Fabricating became Summit Fire Apparatus with the emphasis as a refurbishment shop of fire apparatus. Over the years Summit and their employees gained experience and knowledge from repairing and refurbishing other manufacturer's apparatus. Joe Messmer, President and Tom Messmer, Vice President had made the decision to change the mission of Summit Fire Apparatus from a refurbishment shop to apparatus manufacturer in 1980.

in 1994, Summit more than doubled its Edgewood, Kentucky plant from 14,500 sq. ft. to a 31,000 state of the art facility. Through computer aided technology and firefighter experienced management, Summit has developed a line of apparatus that includes Pumpers, Tankers, Rescue Trucks, Brush Trucks and specialty units such as our Haz-Mat Rescue and SCBA Refill Air & Light Vehicle.

Today, Summit Fire Apparatus continues its "Commitment to Quality at Affordable Prices" on every apparatus built.