About Santiam Emergency EquipmentFire & Rescue Equipment in the Pacific Northwest
Santiam Emergency Equipment, Inc. was founded in 1983 by Alan Slater, a former volunteer fire department chief officer. His station's response area included the second busiest highway across the Cascade Mountains in Oregon, and also included a popular recreation area that was only accessible by a narrow windy road. His station had to rely on extrication tools from the "main station" 10 miles away, so they decided to get their own. During the process of researching available equipment he saw an advertisement in a trade magazine from Holmatro, a Dutch company trying to establish an American distribution network for its rescue products. After a few phone calls, receipt of brochures & specifications and an interview, he felt that Holmatro products were superior to other products on the market at the time, and decided to market them; Santiam Emergency Equipment was thus formed. Santiam has long specialized in extrication equipment, and added protective clothing in the early 1990s. In more recent years, as the company has grown it has picked-up additional firefighting products (thermal imagers, ventilation fans, fire hose & nozzles, etc.), and has made a "switch" to Genesis Rescue Tools. It is headquartered in Salem, Oregon, and operates in the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California. 
Scott SlaterScott Slater is the manager of the company, and started with the company in 1989 after spending four years in the US Army. Initially Scott was a part-time employee, but in 1994 after graduating from Oregon State University he became the company's first full-time employee. Scott has spent the time since then teaching extrication techniques at fire departments and community colleges, in addition to time spent building the company and promoting the company's products. Scott along with his wife and children live in Jefferson, Oregon. |
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