The KME Predator is a custom fire apparatus chassis built by Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp, the Pennsylvania manufacturer better known as KME. The company’s entry on English Wikipedia names the Predator and Panther as the two chassis on which it builds its own custom fire apparatus, rather than modifying chassis bought from other makers.
KME Predator at a glance
| Maker | Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp (KME) |
|---|---|
| Type | custom fire apparatus chassis |
| Chassis | KME’s own, built in-house |
| Parent company | REV Group |
| Founded | 1946, by John “Sonny” Kovatch, Jr. |
| Vehicles built | more than 10,000 |
| Factory | Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania |
| Factory closed | 2022 |
| Production today | other REV Group facilities |
The Predator has no Wikipedia article of its own; this page is based on the single English Wikipedia article on the manufacturer, which names the Predator chassis but gives no further detail about it.
History of the KME Predator
KME was founded in 1946 by John “Sonny” Kovatch, Jr. and grew into a custom truck builder based in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania. Its output is not limited to fire engines: the company lists automotive, aviation, petro-chemical, industrial, energy, military, police and fire-rescue vehicles among the fields it builds for, and it says it has produced more than 10,000 vehicles in total.
Within the fire service, KME’s distinguishing feature is that it builds custom apparatus on chassis of its own making. The Predator is one of the two such chassis named in the company’s Wikipedia entry, the other being the Panther. Departments that prefer a chassis from another maker can instead have KME body apparatus on Mack, Ford, Pierce, International or Kenworth chassis.
In 2022 the REV Group, KME’s parent company, closed the Nesquehoning factory. Production of equipment wearing the KME name was moved to other REV Group facilities, so the Predator chassis is no longer built in the Pennsylvania plant where the name was established. Predator apparatus delivered before that date remain in service with fire departments, and the chassis is still the subject of the short film linked below, which shows a 2013 example starting up at a station.
Design and features
- Own chassis: the Predator is built on a KME-designed chassis rather than a bought-in truck chassis.
- Custom bodywork: KME builds apparatus to order, so the body behind the cab varies with the department’s brief.
- Alternative to modified chassis: departments wanting a Mack, Ford, Pierce, International or Kenworth chassis can have KME bodywork on those instead.
- Part of a wide range: the same works built vehicles for aviation, industrial, military and police use as well as for fire-rescue.
KME Predator versions
- Predator chassis: KME’s own custom chassis for fire apparatus.
- Panther chassis: the second of the two custom chassis named by the company.
- Apparatus on bought-in chassis: the alternative route, using Mack, Ford, Pierce, International or Kenworth chassis.
The other KME custom chassis is the Panther; the same company also built the Renegade and numerous pumpers. More of the marque is in the KME collection.
Video: 2013 KME Predator fire truck start up, Station 13
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp, English Wikipedia: founding, output, chassis, closure
