March 24, 2011

The KME 2011 FDIC display included the new 79’ AerialCat™, recognized by Fire Apparatus and Emergency Equipment magazine as its 2010 Best New Apparatus.

Mounted on a KME Predator single rear axle chassis with 425hp engine, the ladder is available with an unrestricted 500lb tip load while flowing 1500gpm and a 750lb tip load version with units start at under $500,000.

Despite an attractive selling price, the new 79’ AerialCat™ is best in class in several categories. Featuring a 1500gpm flow rate, water handling is unsurpassed. The strong KME ladder is constructed of 100,000 psi steel, which is significantly stronger than competitors’ models and is engineered with a 2.5:1 structural safety factor based on a 750 lb. NFPA-1901 rated tip load! This is the only steel ladder with true 2.5:1 safety factor and is third party P.E. certified.

This AerialCat™ ladder also includes great safety features. The 79’ rated vertical reach and 70’ horizontal reach are unequaled and provide 17% more scrub zone capability, allowing users to reach more on the fire scene. With the elevation range of -7 to +80 degrees in conjunction with a “Store Front Blitz” monitor firefighters can perform interior attacks with just the ladder and monitor (see attached diagrams.) In addition, the new AerialCat™ is easy to maneuver with a short wheelbase and 14’ outrigger stance with downriggers to rear of cab.

Other innovative safety and maintenance features. A knurled stainless bolt-on ladder egress provides a no-maintenance, yet aggressive surface to grasp onto when transitioning off the roof or from a window. The egress is also designed with “Ladder Tip Skid Guards”, which provides an integral round skid plate on the ladder tip to allow for the ladder to slide on a roof or the side of the building without ladder tip hang-up. The new ladder has wider and higher ladder sections for safe easy climbing and photo luminescent rung covers for safety at night. The large turntable and ladder access step makes for safe transition from ladder.

KME single source, custom manufactures the broadest family of aerials in the fire service. Rear mount ladders range from 75’ to 121’ and although each model can be highly customized, each includes unparalleled strength as standard. The materials, testing, engineering and motion control systems in every KME AerialCat™ deliver the confidence to perform even under the most extreme conditions.