Dan Eddy has focused his entire career on fire prevention. For fifteen years, he has been with the department – and even met his wife when his truck visited the school where she worked. Whether at the firehouse or at home with his three daughters, Dan upholds a standard of trust and reliability, both values he looks for in professional equipment.
“The way I look at it, we’re trusting that equipment to save our lives. I’m already running into a situation that most people are running out of, so the last thing I need to do is grab some sort of equipment that I question.” Dan’s firehouse uses over 160 STIHL chainsaws for various jobs. They also keep 60 rescue saws on hand for more dangerous maneuvers, such as cutting through the roof of a burning building. His department trusts STIHL to work when things get heated.
In one such experience, Dan was forced to leave his STIHL chainsaw behind in a rapidly escalating fire. The next day, Dan returned and found the saw a “melted mess.” He tugged the pull cord and was surprised when the engine “roared to life."* Dan was so amazed that he sent an email to STIHL, complimenting the company on a well-made product.
“I normally wouldn’t do that but just the fact that it was left for dead for nine hours and it still would have saved us, I thought that was kind of unique and something they should know about. I think it’s a wonderful thing for us to count on something like that.”
After his experience at the firehouse, Dan decided to invest in his own STIHL equipment from a local Dealer.
“I thought ‘Oh, I’ll just buy the same exact saw I have on the fire engine.’ And they talked me through it. ‘Well, you probably don’t need that saw, you could easily get away with this one,’ that kind of thing. You won’t get that at some mass merchant store or anything else. You could tell that the vendor takes pride in it.”
In addition to his STIHL chainsaw, Dan’s garage now holds a STIHL blower and a STIHL edger. In both his personal and professional life, he tributes this loyalty to a sense of pride he shares with the STIHL brand.
“The pride you take in your work as a firefighter is the same thing that you can see in someone making a STIHL product. You can see that it’s a good product – it’s good craftsmanship. They’ve taken the time to make it work.”
*DO NOT start or operate damaged equipment. If your STIHL equipment has been compromised in any way, take it to your local STIHL Dealer for immediate servicing.