Spartan ERV Secures Five-Year Contract With Riverside County, Calif.

INDIANAPOLIS, April 9, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spartan ERV (Emergency Response Vehicles), a business unit of Spartan Motors, Inc. SPAR, announced prior to the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis that the Riverside County (Calif.) Fire Department has awarded Spartan ERV, and its authorized dealer Emergency Vehicle Group, Inc. (EVG), an order for 14 custom fire apparatus. The 14 units mark the first in a recently signed five-year contract between Spartan ERV, EVG and Riverside County, California.

"Riverside County, California is one of the largest counties in the United States, covering over 7,000 square miles with a very diverse set of needs, from wildfire to suburban home, with over 1,000 units in service," said Bill Doebler, Vice President of Sales at Spartan ERV. "This contract will be a launch point for Spartan ERV's west coast growth. We look forward to providing Riverside County with products built to the highest standards of quality and performance in the industry as we serve and grow on the west coast."

The Spartan ERV pumpers will be built on the Metro Star from Spartan Chassis with a Cummins 450HP ISL engine and Allison 3000 series transmission. All units in the order include the Advanced Protection System (APS) from Spartan Chassis. This system offers a number of industry-leading innovations including outboard sensors, side impact airbag protection, full side curtain airbags, driver's knee airbags and intelligent seat belts, as well as steering wheel-mounted driver airbags and officer knee airbags.

The Star Series urban interface engine includes a Hale QMAX-XS pump producing 1,500 gallons per minute, a Hale CBP PTO booster pump, a foam system package and capacity to carry 500 gallons of water. The aluminum body was custom designed to meet the needs of the Riverside County Fire Department.

This contract marks Riverside Country's first Spartan ERV units in its fleet.

About Spartan ERV

Spartan ERV™ is a leading manufacturer of custom fire trucks and other rescue vehicles. A business unit of Spartan Motors, Inc. SPAR, Spartan ERV™ is committed to quality, performance and innovation. Drawing on more than 130 years of excellence in fire truck manufacturing, Spartan ERV™ manufactures a full line of pumpers, tankers, rescues, aerials, quick-attack/urban interface vehicles and other emergency-rescue vehicles from its facilities in Florida, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. For more information, visit www.spartanerv.com.

About Spartan Motors

Spartan Motors, Inc. designs, engineers and manufactures specialty chassis, specialty vehicles, truck bodies and aftermarket parts for the recreational vehicle (RV), emergency response, government services, defense, and delivery and service markets. The Company's brand names – Spartan™, Spartan Chassis™, Spartan ER™, Spartan ERV™ and Utilimaster® - are known for quality, performance, service and first-to-market innovation. The Company employs approximately 1,700 associates at facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Indiana and Florida. Spartan reported sales of $470 million in 2013 and is focused on becoming a global leader in the design, engineering and manufacture of specialty vehicles and chassis. Visit Spartan Motors at www.spartanmotors.com.