This week’s edition of the CAT Scale Rig of the Week is a rolling tribute to fallen firefighters. The truck belongs to Dan Ravenhorst of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The truck is a 2019 Mack Anthem 64T and Ravenhorst uses the truck to celebrate both of his passions: trucking and firefighting.
He grew up in Lake City, Minnesota, the home of Bud Meyer Trucking and started working at the company’s truck yard at age 13. Once he was old enough, he got his CDL and hit the road. Since 2009, he’s hit nearly every state in the country. For the last 21 years, he’s also been a
firefighter and EMT, but on September 27, 2019 Ravenhorst suffered a heart attack while fighting a fire. His wife, Amanda, suggested the number 927 for his truck’s number to remember that event.
The truck, which is equipped with a 13-liter MP8 engine coupled with a 13-speed automated manual transmission, has a “thin red line” theme that honors fallen firefighters.
The Maltese Cross is used in the logos of fire departments around the world, including the Township Fire Department that Ravenhorst is a part of.
He decided to combine the Maltese Cross with a caricature of a bulldog holding a fire hose.
The design features the words “last alarm”, which is used for the traditional firefighter’s funeral.
Ravenhorst also said that he hopes the truck can also raise awareness of PTSD, which he said is a big problem for firefighters, EMTs, police and the military.
When he isn’t driving, Ravenhorst is a training instructor for Station 1 of Township Fire and Rescue. The department has 145 volunteers and operates five stations.
The department covers nearly a third of the Wisconsin and handles about 1,000 calls each year.
Do you use the cat scale app and have a rig you’d like us to feature as the cat scale rig of the week? Send photos to [email protected]
A former military public affairs specialist, Cody Graves has a journalism career that has spanned radio, television and print. For the last ten years, he produced special sections for Arkansas’ only statewide newspaper. During his time in the U.S. Army Reserves, Cody served tours in El Salvador, Iraq and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In his spare time, he plays guitar in a local band and spends time with his dogs, Lucy and Daisy.