News

YAKIMA, WA – September 21, 2026 – MES Life Safety is excited to announce that SeaWestern Emergency Vehicles has become Ridgehound, a dedicated manufacturer of purpose-built wildland and specialty apparatus.  The new identity reflects the transformation of the company’s Yakima operation from a regional in-house apparatus program into a focused manufacturing business that designs, engineers, builds, and…

Ridgehound Emergency Vehicles recently completed a Model 1 wildland fire truck delivery for Junction City Fire & Rescue in Lane County, Oregon. The department took delivery of Brush 362, a purpose-built wildland apparatus on a Ford F-550 platform, equipped and ready to respond from day one. This build reflects what the Ridgehound Model 1 is…

Rural Fire Truck for Mountain Terrain Arrives at Gold Hill, Colorado Gold Hill, Colorado sits at 8,500 feet above Boulder—a historic mountain community where roads narrow, terrain steepens, and one fire apparatus must handle everything. The Gold Hill Fire Department has just taken delivery of a rural fire truck for mountain terrain purpose-built for exactly…

Model 1 Wildland Fire Truck: Built for Real-World Demands SeaWestern EV’s Model 1 wildland fire truck represents a fundamental shift in how purpose-built wildland apparatus gets engineered. Rather than adapting commercial platforms or assembling components from multiple vendors, the Model 1 wildland fire truck is designed and built in-house—from concept through field deployment—by a team…

Western Wildfire Suppression Equipment Gets a New Benchmark SeaWestern Emergency Vehicles has introduced a purpose-built platform that redefines expectations for western wildfire suppression equipment. The Model 1 Demo Unit represents years of engineering refinement, field feedback, and commitment to delivering reliable apparatus for the demanding terrain and conditions fire departments face across the Western U.S.…

Seligman Fire District Pump Truck Upgrade Enhances Wildfire Suppression Seligman Fire District has taken delivery of a major addition to its wildfire response arsenal: a new Model 2 SRW with an enclosed pump package, custom-built by SeaWestern Emergency Vehicles. This Seligman fire district pump truck upgrade represents a significant investment in the department’s ability to…

Kuna Fire District EMS Response Equipment Gets Critical Upgrade The Kuna Rural Fire District has taken a major step to meet growing community needs by adding a new SWEV Model 2 Rescue Unit to its fleet. As one of Idaho’s fastest-growing communities, Kuna fire district EMS response equipment must keep pace with rapid population expansion…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MES and SeaWestern Emergency Vehicles Announce Strategic Realignment of Apparatus Division YAKIMA, WA – Municipal Emergency Services, Inc. (MES) and SeaWestern Emergency Vehicles (an MES Company) today announced a strategic restructuring of their emergency vehicle operations to better serve fire departments and first responders across the United States. As part of this transition,…

A reflection from Jordan Koffler, SeaWestern Emergency Vehicles When you walk through our building in Yakima, it doesn’t take long to realize you’re standing in a place with a lot of history. Not just company history — fire service history. Our story traces back more than eighty years to 1945, when Cascade Fire Equipment began…