E-ONE is celebrating 50 years of producing fire emergency vehicles

The E-ONE campus in southwest Ocala was a festive site on Wednesday, March 6, for the 50^th anniversary celebration of the fire truck manufacturer, complete with speeches and a cake.

E-ONE is a subsidiary of REV Group Inc. The anniversary celebration, which is set to span a year, includes components such as honoring longtime customers and employees, special events showcasing new deliveries of fire trucks, the unveiling of a new fire truck badge that will be applied on all trucks delivered this year, a commemorative challenge coin and more.

A photo of Robert Wormser, the founder of E-ONE, is shown during the 50 Years Of E-ONE celebration at E-ONE in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

The March 6 event in Ocala included a ceremony for the first 50^th anniversary-badged pumper truck coming off the production line, which is bound for Pasco County Fire Rescue, and recognition of fire departments statewide.In showing how things have changed over the years, one of the company’s first fire trucks, from 1984, was on display, along with an original invoice in the amount of $123,771. The price tag for the new truck bound for Pasco County is priced at $900,000.

Many officials were on hand for the celebration, including Mike Virnig, president, REV Specialty Vehicles Segment, and representatives from the city of Ocala and Marion County. The governmental agencies provided proclamations that noted the milestone anniversary.

According to materials provided in advance of the event, “Five decades of E-ONE’s existence have been marked by continuous growth, with a humble beginning of 25 employees evolving into a workforce of nearly 1,000 individuals in Ocala. In these 50 years, E-ONE has become a pioneer and worldwide leader in the design and manufacturing of fire emergency vehicles, rescue trucks, aerial fire trucks, rescue pumpers and custom fire apparatus.”

The company started with 25 employees and today employs more than 1,000 people at facilities in Ocala and Hamburg, NY.

“We’re proud of E-ONE’s network of loyal customers around the world as well as all our past and present employees’ commitment to building the best apparatus for firefighters,” said Virnig in a news release. “From those first days in 1974 until today, it has been our privilege to offer the leadership and service E-ONE is known for to our customers in the fire industry and we look forward to the exciting and ground-breaking next 50^th years of the company.”

Company materials note that it was in 1974 that “Bob Wormser founded Emergency One, Inc., now known as E-ONE, and introduced the first modular extruded aluminum fire truck body, which could be built separate from the chassis and loaded later. This launched the company’s reputation in the fire industry for pioneering innovation, still evidenced 50 years later in the fire apparatus it produces for fire departments around the world.”

E-ONE opened an 82,000 square foot production facility in Ocala in 1978 and in 1981 produced its first aerial, a 110’ welded extruded aluminum aerial with integral torque box chassis. Other milestones include:

• 1983 – 95-foot platform and 135-foot ladder introduced, both part of the modular line of aerials
• 1990 – Opened 65,000 square foot welcome center/production facility
• 1994 – Introduced the HP 75 ladder with 500-pound tip load
• 2001 – HP 95 Mid-Mount introduced
• 2007 – HP 100 Platform released
• 2011 – eMAX pumper introduced
• 2017- Metro 100 Quint introduced
• 2020 – DND Air Transportable ARFF produced
• 2022 – All-Electric Vector released

To help celebrate the anniversary milestone, E-ONE customers, employees and others can share their experiences at e-one.com/50years and on the company’s various social media channels.