My name is Alexandre Séguin and I’m the Sales Manager for L’Arsenal. At L’Arsenal, we specialize in firefighter equipment and fire trucks. We have a strong relationship with Oshkosh Airport Products, where we provide an integrated sales, service and technical support experience to meet each customer’s needs.
We work as a dealer for Oshkosh Airport Products and they are really focused on technology because of the military side of the Oshkosh Corporation family.
The Oshkosh ARFF’s are efficient, fast and easy to maintain. Because of the importance of an ARFF vehicle, you can’t afford to not have the product working.
If the truck is not working and an airport doesn’t have a vehicle in service, planes cannot land. This can add up to millions and millions of dollars in loss.
An ARFF is an essential feature of an airport because they protect citizens. If the ARFF truck is not on the ground, then the plane cannot land.
Each ARFF is designed to specific standards, with capacity of water, for extension and also for foam. The vehicles are incredibly large, but every feature is necessary to ensure airport safety.
Each vehicle has a certain life span, so the demand is tailored to this. Also, depending on the size of the airport, you might need additional inspections and maintenance if the demand is higher.
It would be a 10-year cycle for the ARFF, 15-years in a smaller airport and maybe even 20 in the operations are less intense.
The MET is a new airport- we had previously worked alongside Montreal Airport five years ago, so were excited to collaborate with the MET team.
We had many discussions with the people at MET, explaining and showing them the work that we do at L’Arsenal and how we “walk the talk”, which is the principal for how we work. As a result of this, we were able to build a good relationship. “Walk the talk” means that we do exactly what we say we are going to.
The MET airport is local to us- only about an hour drive, so we were able to make it clear that they would have access to our maintenance, engineering and knowledge of the Striker.
Alexandre Séguin
Our relationship with Oshkosh played a significant role in growing our relationship with MET because they knew we were working with a trusted company who treat their customers to the highest standard.
The Striker was the best choice for MET Airport because it is a vehicle that is reliable. It is engineered to deliver exceptional performance and safety. With water capacity of 12,500L and foam capacity of 1,600L, the Striker is built for the rigorous needs of a growing airport.
When speaking with the MET team, the Striker also appealed because of Oshkosh and the brand recognition that comes with their brand.
Oshkosh take pride in how their treat their staff and their customers, with proven efficiency and industry-leading technology.
Alexandre Séguin
MET wanted foam testing systems that minimized environmental impact, aligning with the airports aspirations for sustainability. They recognized the importance of fire protection as they continue to grow into a hub in Montreal.
Maintenance is essential to promoting the efficiency of an ARFF because they can’t afford to stop at any given moment.
If there’s an issue with a truck, it needs to be quickly repaired because an off-duty vehicle could be very detrimental to the routine schedule of an airport.
An ARFF is a major investment and so a lot of thought needs to be put in when choosing the correct vehicle for an airport.
Each ARFF vehicle needs to be constantly maintained so that it adheres to standards, there needs to be current quantities of water in the vehicle and it needs to be compliant with insurance.
If a truck is unavailable or doesn’t meet requirement, then there will be a service breakdown. This leads to passenger being unable to take their flight or being unable to land.
At L’Arsenal, our 24/7 services with specific technician help is incredibly beneficial. If there is an issue with a vehicle that is not common, for example, a flat tire, then we will deploy our team in around an hour or two to fix the problem.
Having regular parts in stock at our base and offering maintenance and repair means that customers are ensured fast service.
This helps to instil confidence in the product because you know that if any issue were to arise- then we would be able to fix it quickly and easily. If there is a problem, we will “walk the talk” and be there.
Alexandre Séguin
