Contact:

Mark Chapman

Tri-County International Trucks, Inc.

5701 Wyoming Avenue

Dearborn, MI 48126

Email:

(313) 584-7090

The Detroit Ambulance Success Story:
It Started With A Pitch From Tri-County International Trucks

International TerraStar Pitched As Perfect Platform For New Detroit Ambulance Fleet

International TerraStar Now the Platform For ‘Finest Ambulance In The World’

Dearborn, MI—August 27, 2013 : Everyone in the Detroit area, and many nationally, are now familiar with the success story provided by the City of Detroit’s announcement of the acquisition of twenty-three new ambulances to serve the Detroit community and purchased through the generosity of a consortium of Detroit corporate business leaders called the Downtown Detroit Partnership. This partnership included Penske Corporation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MI, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, the Chrysler Group, Platinum Equity and FirstMerit Bank. These corporations and their leaders are to be honored and congratulated for their outstanding generosity and tremendous civic spirit.

However, few know that the process actually started more than two years ago with a pitch to Detroit City Fire Officials from Mark Caracciolo, Municipal Sales Consultant for Tri-County International Trucks, Inc., headquartered in Dearborn and located at the Dearborn/Detroit border.

As a veteran municipal sales consultant of many years who has assembled the specifications for countless trucks for city governments, numerous county road commissions and various other state, municipal and governmental organizations, Mark was aware of the state of the aging ambulance fleet that Detroit Fire/EMS was relying upon to serve the citizens of Detroit. Simply put, the fleet currently meeting the challenge of serving the 37 square miles that constitute the City of Detroit was just about spent, road hard and used up, and badly in need of replacement.

Mark saw the need for a newer, more technologically advanced, and more heavy duty truck chassis to comprise the platform for a new ambulance fleet. He saw it as the perfect fit for a relatively new product, the International TerraStar, a ground-breaking Class 4/5 truck from Navistar/International.

The International brand is no stranger to the ambulance trade, with its DuraStar Class 6/7 truck having been the chassis platform of choice for thousands of ambulances in operation nationwide. The new
International TerraStar, however, featuring many innovations in engine, emissions and onboard electronics offered the City of Detroit Fire/EMS Department and its officialsa comprehensive solution with a slightly smaller footprint capable of easily navigating the narrow neighborhood streets of Detroit, but most importantly, featuring a much lower per unit price tag while sacrificing none of the reliability and durability that is the signature of the Navistar/International nameplate.

From the first meeting and presentation at the old Detroit Fire Department Headquarters on Larned, Detroit City Fire/EMS officials were impressed with not only the capabilities of the International TerraStar, but also with the total offering of parts, service and operational support that was available through
Tri-County International Trucks, Inc. and Navistar/International.

Encouraged by the reception of the message of product, service and support that Tri-County International Trucks and Navistar offered, Mark Caracciolo, backed by a team of Navistar engineers and with the expertise and assistance of Horton Emergency Vehicles, created the specification for and built the truck that is now the what Roger Penske, when formally announcing the new vehicle at the official introduction on Friday, August 23rd, called ‘the finest ambulance in the world’.

Now delivered and paid for through the generosity of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, the new International TerraStar Ambulance has been designed, built and delivered and will serve the citizens of the City of Detroit exceedingly well in the years to come.

Tri-County International Trucks, Inc. will continue to be involved down the road as a resource to Detroit Fire/EMS, providing a comprehensive package of service, training, expertise and parts to ensure the International TerraStar Ambulance, the finest ambulance in the world, stayson the road, serving the needs of the people of the City of Detroit.

About Tri-County International Trucks/C&S Motors, Inc.

Tri-County International Trucks/C&S Motors, Inc. is Navistar’s International dealership for Southeast Michigan and has been serving the trucking needs of Michigan organizations for over 50 years.
Tri-County International Trucks features a complete offering of new and used truck sales, full-service leasing, commercial truck rental, and complete parts and service/repair for all makes and models of
diesel trucks from branch operations in Dearborn, Flint, Warren, Jackson and Ypsilanti.

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Flint Dearborn Jackson Warren Ypsilanti

(810) 234-5265 (313) 584-7090 (517) 783-2721 (586) 771-6760 (734) 372-2700