Sector Spotlight: Hooklifts for Fire Departments & Response Teams

Hooklifts for Fire Departments & Response TeamsIt used to be that the needs of a community could be met with a fleet of single-purpose fire department rigs configured as pumpers, ladder trucks and EMS units. Not anymore.

On a citywide basis or as part of a county or regional response team, today’s departments are taking on specialized roles that go beyond firefighting and emergency medical services. Hooklifts are coming to the rescue!

One prime example of these jobs is a hazardous materials response unit. Others might be water search-and-rescue or fighting brushfire, among many others.

While all fire departments are different, the appeal of hydraulic hook loaders for their ability to quickly roll-on a specialized truck body in response to a call is universal. A cash-strapped municipality doesn’t need to purchase a single-use rig for every potential emergency. Instead, they can buy a single hooklift-equipped cab-and-chassis and as many specially-outfitted roll-on/off bodies as needed.

Operating from the safety of the unit’s cab, a driver of a hooklift hoist-system outfitted rig can quickly load a truck body that addresses any number of specialized situations:

  • All-hazard incidents (e.g., tornadoes, floods, etc.) body
  • Brush fire fighting body
  • Decontamination body
  • Emergency generator package
  • Emergency lighting body
  • Flatbed (e.g., for hauling ATVs or snowmobiles)
  • Hazardous materials response body
  • Mountain search-and-rescue body
  • Urban search-and-rescue body
  • Water search-and-rescue body
  • Water tanker

When the emergency situation is resolved, the hook loader returns to the yard, hoists off the specialized response truck body and stands ready to load another for the next emergency call.

Of course, many government units don’t limit the use of their units to roles traditionally assigned to fire departments. Specialized roll-on-off truck bodies for use with hooklift hoists can also be configured to meet the needs of police units. One example would be truck bodies for special weapons and tactics (SWAT) operations.

For selection, savings and service, make Ampliroll your first choice in hydraulic hooklift systems.

Ampliroll Hooklift Systems are manufactured by Marrel – the inventor of the dual-pivot hook loader in 1969 and first again in bringing them to users across the U.S. in 1980. Today, Ampliroll is the only supplier in the U.S.A. of premier hook loader systems and associated equipment.

Unlike many others, we also offer a complete selection of truck-mounted accessories and roll-on/off bodies that we can supply as a package with our hook loaders, allowing for single-source acquisition! Select from aerial lifts, cranes, grapple systems and more. Also choose from cement mixers, dump bodies, flatbeds, septic pumpers, waste containers, water tankers and other interchangeable bodies. In addition, you can select from our line of high-quality pre-owned hooklift vehicles.