As multiple tornadoes blistered the Dallas area on April 3, a custom-built Ford F-550 Super Duty pickup suddenly went from show truck to fully engaged fire department support vehicle.
“We were scared when we took it out there, because it had never been driven more than three miles,” Brad Snyder, vice president of marketing for NewScope Marketing, the branding and design company that customized the truck for Ford Motor, said. “It came through with flying colors.”
Called the F-550 Super Duty Rescue Truck, the rig was built ground-up from Ford’s cab and chassis for the Chicago auto show, held in February, to generate interest in Ford’s commercial trucks. Since then, it had been making the rounds at events around Texas. Just a week before the tornadoes struck, the F-550 was on display at a rodeo in Houston.
Then came the call. The Granbury volunteer fire department advised NewScope on the truck’s design, so when the funnels materialized, the department informed Mr. Snyder that Arlington’s fire department was looking for outside help. Along with an employee, Mr. Snyder, with no first-responder experience, drove the truck to the Green Oaks Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center, which had sustained significant damage.