US Fire Pump CEO Chris Ferrara started his business with $1,800 and an idea.
Now, his company has customers around the world and even holds a Guinness World Record for the largest fire pump ever installed on a fire truck.
Ferrara began his journey as a volunteer firefighter, where he took part in building a new truck for the fire department.
How O&G industry fights big fires, saves lives
Chris Ferrara, CEO, US Fire Pump
“I joined the central volunteer fire department back in 1978 and we really needed a new fire truck,” Ferrara said. “With my welding and pipe fitter experience, me and a couple of guys got together and built a fire truck in our spare time for the fire department. We saved a lot of money in doing that, and it felt like there was a need. I started Ferrara Fire Apparatus with only $1,800. I didn’t come from a wealthy family or anything. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of great people along the way to make it happen.”
After selling Ferrara Fire Apparatus in 2017, Ferrara wanted to start a new company. He founded US Fire Pump with a goal of designing the largest fire pump installed on a fire truck.
“Big fires take big water and big equipment, and that’s why I wanted to start US Fire Pump,” Ferrara said. “I really wanted to design a fire pump that would be the largest fire pump installed on a fire truck anywhere in the world. Currently, I hold a Guinness World Record for the largest fire pump ever installed on a fire truck.”
When discussing what separates US Fire Pump from other fire fleet service companies, Ferrara notes that the investments in equipment has allowed it to grow and expand the company. In March, US Fire Pump opened a new facility in Mont Belvieu, Texas.
“We have invested a tremendous amount of money in equipment,” Ferrara said. “At the new Mont Belvieu, Texas, office we have invested approximately $50 million in equipment, support equipment for the trucks, computers, monitors, phones, and really everything needed to respond to any major incident.”
Major incidents, such as the 2019 chemical fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) in Deer Park, Texas, put a national spotlight on Houston and caused many facilities to reevaluate their emergency response plans. Ferrara described what US Fire Pump learned from that event and how the company’s approach to taking on these major fires has been impacted.
“The ITC fire was one of the largest fires in Texas history,” Ferrara explained. “We were the only contract company to come in to extinguish that fire. No one in industry has the equipment to put out a massive fire like that. You need resources from a lot of different companies, facilities and friends, so we were contracted to go out there and extinguish the fire. Once we got set up, we had the fire under control in several hours. We were really proud to be there.”
This industry experience and expertise is what has positioned US Fire Pump to become the largest emergency response company in the world, according to Ferrara.
“We have actively put out every major fire in the last five years around the country from the Deer Park fire, to the aircraft carrier for the Navy back about a year and a half ago, to the Rockton fire up in Illinois,” Ferrara explained. “We’ve been really all over the place, so we have built a great name for ourselves. It’s just a tremendous amount of knowledge that our people have to do this job that really sets us apart from anybody else out there.”
A passion for industry is what can propel a business forward. Ferrara explains that being successful is about surrounding yourself with passionate people.
“I love this job,” Ferrara said. “I have the passion for it, and this is an exciting job. I started my career as a volunteer fireman, so being a fireman for so many years, this is more exciting to me. I wouldn’t have any other job. We have a depth of personnel that really makes it happen from the janitor to the engineers. To be successful, you have to surround yourself with great people.”
For more information, visit usfirepump.com or call (225) 209- 6551.
