A Look Inside the BME Service Department

When you buy a fire truck from Boise Mobile Equipment (BME), you become part of the BME family. Not only is your new apparatus guaranteed a long and reliable service lifetime, but you’re promised our continued support along the way through our service department. Although we don’t expect to see BME-built engines return to our shop too often, accidents happen and regular maintenance is required. That is why we maintain a service department and service centers across the country, each specifically trained to work on BME engines whenever they need extra care. No matter what type of service your BME fire truck requires, we can provide what you need. With services ranging from maintenance and repairs to refurbishment and retrofitting, we will maintain the longevity of your apparatus for decades to come.

Maintaining a 20-Year Fire Truck

When BME opened its doors in 1990, our goal was to build a fire apparatus that would not need to be replaced every few years. Since then, our apparatus have stood the test of time, providing fire departments with safe, reliable, and cost-effective equipment. We are proud to build a “20-Year Fire Truck,” promising our clients at least two decades of service from a BME apparatus. Many of our earliest fire trucks are still in service today thanks to the durable tubular construction of our apparatus bodies. We recently had a 1998 BME Type 3 CAFS apparatus in our shop, owned and operated by Sterling Systems LLC Fire Fighting Services in Helena, MT. After twenty-two years of faithful service, the fire truck needed a pump rebuild. While this is not a problem we see often in our apparatus, our service department managed to finish the work ahead of schedule and got the fire truck back in the field. Another recent job involved a Wildland Type 6 we built for Teton Village Fire Department in 2000. This apparatus required a standard refurbish, including pump and electrical service, plumbing modification, replacing the foam system with a FoamPro and a new foam tank, and installing a new lighting package.

No Job Too Big or Too Small

The BME Service Department specializes in variety. No job is too big, small, old, or new for our technicians. Not only are they uniquely trained and authorized to work on BME custom apparatus, but they are experienced in servicing all manufacturers of fire trucks and their parts. Tom Groat, our lead technician, has developed a passion for refurbishing old fire trucks from his years restoring vintage hot rods. Besides repairs and refurbishments, our service department is continually performing routine maintenance to optimize apparatus performance. The beginning of fire season is especially busy as the US Forest Service brings in their engines for annual pump tests and inspections. Not only do they bring BME apparatus to us, but we often work on wildland engines built by our competitors as well. This is because our headquarters is located closer to the states that see the most activity during wildfire season, as well as the trust we have developed and maintained with our returning clients. Another common service is rechassising. While BME fire trucks sometimes require a replacement of their chassis to increase service lifespans, their bodies are typically in excellent condition. The way we build our engine’s frames, utilizing tubular body construction, allows BME fire bodies to withstand more wear and tear in the field than most chassis. Many of our returning clients, including Ventura County Fire Department, have brought their older BME engines to be rechassised.

A One-Stop Shop For First Responders

Boise Mobile Equipment was envisioned as a one-stop shop for first responders, growing and evolving to meet the needs of the heroes who protect our communities. Since its inception, BME has branched out in order to reach that goal, offering apparatus service, an online parts store, and emergency vehicle upfitting alongside our core function of building the safest and most durable fire engines on the market. That’s the BME difference. If you have any questions about our service department, feel free to reach out.