Braun Industries is excited to announce we have a new ambulance dealer for Alabama and Mississippi. Emergency Equipment Professionals will be representing our brand regarding new ambulance sales for these states. The dealership is also a Braun Authorized Service Center for all of your used Braun ambulance needs and maintenance.

Emergency Equipment Professionals was established in 2011 when an existing company, Pro-Equipment, LLC, was divided among partners. The new business, EEP, is family-owned and operated by husband and wife team, Jeff and Mary Kuntz. Together, they are focused on serving customer needs in Alabama and Mississippi, offering an exceptional level of dedication and customer service to each project they undertake.

Owner, Jeff Kuntz, has extensive experience in the Fire & EMS Industry. He has served personally as a first responder since 1980. In that time, he has been a volunteer firefighter, career firefighter and EMT. He continues to volunteer as a firefighter today. In the early 1990s, Jeff became involved with purchasing apparatus. He enjoyed the process so much, he decided to turn it into a career and started selling units as a sales rep for a company in 1992. In 2000, he helped start up Pro-Fire Equipment.

Aside from carrying the complete lineup of Braun ambulances, Emergency Equipment Professionals is an authorized dealer for Pierce fire apparatus and Scott Safety products, among other brands. When considering to take on a new line for ambulances, Jeff had the following to say:  

“Braun seemed to be very customer focused and committed to building the best product. Also, the construction methods that Braun uses to build its ambulances are similar to what we are familiar with through Pierce. We pride ourselves on selling quality products. After looking at the Braun product line and visiting the manufacturing facility, we decided that Braun would be a good fit for our company. They allow us to have continuity in our sales efforts by offering the best in the market. The process to come onboard has been excellent. Once again, it is very evident that quality and customers drive what Braun does. We look forward to working with them and growing together in our territory.”  

The dealership is excited to offer a high quality, custom ambulance with good delivery to their customers that see value in handcraftsmanship and long life. They  believe that the Chief XL and Liberty models will be the best received in their market; they are good, solid units that feature countless customization options. Like us, they understand that many customers don’t look at simply the upfront cost of an ambulance, but seek out a unit that has a lower cost of ownership over the entire life of the vehicle.

Emergency Equipment Professionals provides in-shop maintenance, as well as a full mobile service. This will allow them to assist customers in keeping their Braun ambulance up and running for years to come. They also promote and excel in preventative maintenance, as a way to head off issues before they occur and keep their customers 100% satisfied with their apparatus investment.

If you are in Alabama or Mississippi and are considering a new ambulance, please contact EEP Apparatus Sales Manager, Brian Lee at blee@eeproinc.com. You can also reach the dealership at (662) 280-4729, stop by 2310 Nail Rd. in Horn Lake, MS, or visit them online at http://www.eeprofs.com/. They attend several tradeshows throughout the year, including the upcoming 2013 Fire Chief’s Executive Development Conference of Alabama February 6th and 7th, and the Mississippi and Alabama EMS Conferences. These shows are a great opportunity to speak with them in person, if you are not close to their facility.

Congratulations & welcome aboard Emergency Equipment Professionals! We are delighted to have you as our latest additions to the Braun family.

Posted by Beth Hawks in About Braun Industries, Braun Ambulance Dealers on January 23, 2013

We are nearing the end of our Featured Ambulance Dealer series; we just have a few more dealerships to highlight. Today, we bring you First Priority Emergency Vehicles. First Priority is our ambulance dealer for New Jersey. They are also a Braun Authorized Service Center and Remount facility.

First Priority Emergency Vehicles started as a division of a fire equipment company in 1988. 10 years later, they diversified as a separate emergency vehicle company. Today, they offer new and used ambulances, fire apparatus, remounts, service repairs, and conversions for first responder vehicles. A mix of 36 full-time and part-time employees work hard at the dealership to ensure all of their customer’s needs are met from sales to service. Customer Service is especially important to them. They operate a mobile service unit 24/7 for onsite repairs. They also command 4 service vehicles and run 2 fixed service bases.

An interesting fact about First Priority is that they were recognized as 2010 Exporter of the Year in the automotive category by the US government. The dealership facilitates a lot of emergency vehicle exports, focused mainly on Africa and the Middle East due to high demand there.  Their international experience and high volume of export sales makes them a true leader in the industry.

First Priority Emergency Vehicles became a Braun dealer in 2005 when our previous distributor for the area went out of business. In New Jersey, Braun is recognized as a legacy brand. It’s very well established in the territory and when the other distributor closed shop, the demand for our units remained high. Therefore, First Priority picked up the territory. These days, their seasoned staff of sales professionals includes Ken Clark for North Jersey, Ted Rawley for Central Jersey and Mike Smith and Freddy Hundt for South Jersey. The Chief XL is the most popular model in their region due to the spaciousness of the storage and the high payload; the unit also comes with a ton of great features.

Aside from sales, remounts are a large piece of First Priority’s business and a primary factor for bringing in new customers. Owner Bob Freeman believes that Braun is the most remounted ambulance in the industry due to the longevity of the box. In the current economy, departments are getting squeezed on funds and it’s important to consider if a new ambulance can be successfully remounted down the road. At First Priority, they recently remounted a 1991 Braun; it served the customer very well over the years. Another “famous” remount at the dealership was a Long Island Community Hospital truck that was crushed in the World Trade Center. The Braun box was remounted in their body shop and then resold!

Over the years, First Priority Emergency Vehicles has established a great relationship with Braun. They appreciate the structure of the vehicle and body strength that is present on every ambulance. One of their favorite memories of working with us was the order for St. Claire Hospital. The largest ambulance order in New Jersey, the hospital ordered 12 units in 2008. They were all Express models with a mix of ALS & BLS transport capabilities.

First Priority Emergency Vehicles has two locations: 2444 Ridgway Blvd, Bldg 500, Manchester, NJ 08759 and 166 Gold Mine Road, Flanders, NJ 00836. You can reach the Manchester location at 880-247-7725 or Flanders at 800-526-5106.

We especially want to thank owner of First Priority Emergency Vehicles, Bob Freeman, for taking the time to discuss his dealership with us for this blog. In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Bob made it a priority to provide us details about his company while members of his staff got called out to help with the rescue and cleanup efforts. Now that’s dedication! Thank you for everything you and your staff do for the EMS industry!

Posted by Beth Hawks in About Braun Industries, Braun Ambulance Dealers on November 23, 2012

Today we’re proud to feature our neighbor, Life Star Rescue, Inc. as part of our dealer network. Located at 1171 Production Drive in Van Wert, Ohio, the dealership is directly across the street from our corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility. Our close proximity has helped us develop a special relationship with Life Star over the years, providing us important feedback as we roll out new processes and products, working with us to reach out to customers, standing out among others at our annual awards and much more.  They are truly a valued member of the Braun family.

Life Star Rescue, Inc. was established as a service and remount facility in 1998 in a founding partner’s garage. The name Life Star Rescue, was chosen as a play on the Star of Life that is used so prominently in the EMS industry. A year later, they took on the Braun ambulance line and expanded their services into selling new emergency vehicles. After building a solid reputation, enhancing services and relocating to their current 50,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, Life Star Rescue was purchased by Holman Enterprises out of New Jersey in 2006.

Today, Life Star Rescue represents the Braun ambulance brand in Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan. They also cover counties in eastern Illinois and northwest/southwest Ohio. Their knowledgeable emergency vehicle sales staff includes Troy Meeker for Ohio, Tony Crum for Indiana, Kris Crawley and Eric Crawley for Michigan, Rick Bell for Kentucky and Nick Boles for Illinois. General Manager, Lyle Halstead oversees the organization locally. The dealership is also a Braun Authorized Service Center.

One of the big benefits of being located so close to the Braun facility is having the ability to bring customers to the plant. Life Star focuses on having an open line of communication with departments throughout the process and often brings them over to Braun to see their unit being built first hand. The quality of the Braun product and the ability to customize a unit to meet the customer’s exact requirements is a determining factor in their ongoing relationship with us.

When we asked Lyle if he could give us an example of a great experience of working with Braun, he had the following to say: “One of Rick Bell’s customers thanked the Braun product for saving their lives following an accident. An 80,000 lb asphalt truck t-boned the Braun ambulance the squad was operating.” The reputation and quality of the Braun product was put to the test, and it delivered.

Life Star also appreciates how accommodating the team at Braun is. An example of this was when a Braun Regional Sales Manager recently modified two orders late in the production process to meet additional requests from the customer. They have enjoyed being a Braun dealer for 13 years and look forward to representing the line for many, many more years to come.

If you’d like to read more on Life Star Rescue, you can visit their newly redesigned website at www.LifeStarRescue.com for tons of information. You can also reach them toll free at 888-607-6655.

Posted by Beth Hawks in Braun Ambulance Dealers on November 10, 2012