When severe weather hits, it can be difficult for emergency personnel to visit those areas that were hit hardest. This is especially true in Florida, where rain and floods could devastate a community. The First Response Team of America was formed to help and assist the victims, whether by providing nourishment, helping people to safety, or rebuilding homes. Considering how difficult it can be to drive through a flooded town, the organization needed a vehicle that they could depend on, regardless of the weather.
Understandably, the group formed a partnership with Ram Trucks Brand, with the manufacturer donating a fleet of vehicles to the relief organization. You’ll be impressed what these trucks are truly capable of, and after reading the story below, you may be inclined to seek pickup trucks for sale in Miami, Florida….
The First Response Team of America, Tad Agoglia’s disaster relief organization, is often one of the first groups on the scene when there’s a devastating and catastrophic weather event. Meanwhile, The Weather Channel keeps residents informed as a potentially deadly storm heads their way. Both groups have partnered with the Ram Trucks Brand (a subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), donating heavy duty trucks to areas that need immediate assistance and equipment.
As a Weather.com report describes, the trucks have helped with “delivering supplies, clearing debris, distributing food and water, and hauling and towing.” Without the donated Rams, these communities may have to wait indefinitely before they receive some proper (and productive) machinery.
“We have a great deal of respect for the work that the First Response Team does, and welcome the opportunity to provide Ram trucks to help their efforts,” said the President and CEO of Ram Truck Brand Fred Diaz (via RamTrucks.com). “Our trucks are all about capability, hard work and determination. Ram truck owners are ‘providers’ by nature, often using their trucks to help their neighbors and communities, which makes this partnership with The Weather Channel and the First Response Team a natural fit.”
Among the most popular models being donated is the Ram 5500. Weather.com highlighted the truck for it’s durability, size, ability to keep “the fleet moving,” and the ability to “perform all it’s own onsite repairs.” The 5500 is also a useful truck for it’s bountiful cargo room, meaning responders can easily store any building or safety materials that are needed for repairs. Furthermore, the truck features an air compressor to help inflate weak tires (which means you’d never have to worry about your truck getting stuck), and there’s also an assortment of air tools/plasma cutters to help get through any metal, like I-beams or mobile home frames.
As Weather.com adds, there’s also a welder (which means the crew can quickly and efficiently start repairing damaged homes) and a generator to power lights or power tools (meaning the volunteers can work all through the night). Worried about your truck or equipment running out of fuel? The 5500 also comes with an auxiliary fuel tank, meaning you’ll never have to worry about being stranded with no gas. To top it all off, the truck offers a 10,000-pound payload capacity and a nearly 30,000 towing capacity.
The Ram 2500 4×4 Crew Cabs feature a 6.7-liter Turbo Diesel I-6 engine and a 68RFE six-speed automatic transmission, capable of delivering 370 horsepower and 800 ft-lbs of torque. Similar to the 5500, the trucks are fitted with air compressors and fuel tanks (capable of holding 250 gallons of diesel), and the 2500 is able to tow up to 2,300 pounds.
The Ram 3500 4×4 Crew Cab DRW comes with an elite Cummins 6.7-liter High-Output Turbo Diesel engine and the Aisin six-speed automatic transmission, which helps the truck max out at 385 horsepower and 865 ft-lbs of torque. Capable of carrying 4,000 pounds in the truck bed and towing 17,150 pounds of cargo, the 3500 was an excellent selection to serve as an emergency response vehicle.
In addition to the trucks above, there’s also a Ram 4500 Chassis Crew Cab, which can carry 7,400 pounds and tow 21,600 pounds.
Rams Truck Brand started it’s relationship with the First Responders Team of America back in 2012. Since then, the company (through the FCA Foundation, as WTRF.com notes) has donated more than $300,000. Tupelo, Mississippi, Moore, Oklahoma, and San Marcos, Texas have been among the cities to be assisted by the organization.
“Ram trucks power through the very worst that mother nature can throw at them”, said Agoglia (via James Nelson of Examiner.com). “The team members have developed a great comfort with their Ram trucks, knowing that the strength and reliability of the Ram will get them to a disaster – quickly, safely and ready to work immediately – with capability to handle any challenge that they will face”.
“The partnership is invaluable,” Agoglia added. “The partnership saves lives. We’re knowledgeable and we’re swift and agile because of the partnership, and we can get to those hard to reach locations quickly and safely after a storm because of our Rams.
We’re, at any given moment, sitting in our trucks, on Skype and communicating with the folks at The Weather Channel. We’re literally monitoring weather patterns and in the know of what’s going to happen and where it’s going to happen because of the Weather Channel.”
The Weather Channel also plays an important role in the partnership, as they’re producing a cross-platform series entitled “Responding by Storm,” reporting the work done by the volunteer group. The Weather Channel will air field reports on their network, webisodes on their website, and “exclusive mobile and tablet content,” as PRNewswire.com described. All of these multimedia compliments are sponsored by Ram Truck Brand.
“Ongoing coverage of First Response Team across our platforms will give consumers another perspective into the aftermath of severe weather,” said The Weather Channel Companies’ senior vice president of client solutions Ann Brown (via PR Newswire). “Seeing what Tad and his team do is inspirational and hopefully seeing the challenges presented by the effects of weather will remind people of the need to take weather warnings seriously and be prepared.”
This isn’t the only time that Ram has decided to help out those in need. As part of their ‘Year of the Farmer’ campaign, the company donated $1,000,000 to the National FFA Organization, a youth group that focuses on agricultural education. The company has also held endless blood drives, raffled off trucks, and sponsored major concerts. Clearly, the brand is focused on giving back to the community.
If you’re interested in joining the First Response Team of America, or if you’d prefer just to donate money, you can visit their website, firstresponseteam.org.
When you think about it, there’s really no other choice for a disaster relief vehicle. Ram trucks offer a unique combination of power, strength, reliability and durability… all attributes that are sorely needed in rough weather conditions. It doesn’t hurt that the company has been extremely generous, meaning The First Response Team of America never has to worry about having enough vehicles.
Are you convinced that Ram trucks are some of the best on the market? If so, head down to Kendall Ram in Miami, Florida. The helpful staff will get you hooked up with your ideal truck.
