Top 10 Trailers of 2019: #10 – National Grid First Responders Training Trailer

As 2019 winds down we are taking a look back at a few of our favorite custom trailers from the year. Of course, we will never overlook the everyday trailer sales that are the meat and potatoes of our business, but the big marketing trailers that require extended fabrication make us really proud to do what we do.

Over the next few weeks we will feature a top 10 countdown of our favorite custom trailers of 2019 as voted on by our employees.

From the sales team to the admin team to the service team, every person may or may not have played a direct role in each trailer along the way, but each person has played an important role in keeping the business going, providing excellent customer service, and getting trailers back up and running quickly, which is something to be celebrated.

#10. National Grid First Responders Training Trailer

Some trailers haul equipment, others serve as a marketing platform, and others act as a shop, workshop, or command center. Coming in at No. 10 on our list, the National Grid trailer is important to us because it does something a little bit different. It serves as a training vessel for those who work to keep us safe.

Based in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and the UK,National Grid is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in theworld, promoting the development and implementation of sustainable,innovative, and affordable energy solutions.

National Grid's learning and development team, of which Kevin Krogh helps lead, operates witha stated mission that is “dedicated to the first responders and the communitieswe serve through education and utility training.”

“The purpose of our program is to reach out to the 401 firedepartments in our upstate New York region and to train them on the dangersthat come with it when responding to gas leaks, gas fires, or even unknownsmells of gas in areas or buildings,” said Krogh, manager of gas trainingfor National Grid.

His job was significantly enhanced by the purchase of the 24-foot stage trailer which was outfittedwith a whole gas line distribution model that Kevin and his team take directlyto fire departments throughout upstate New York. 

But the custom trailer didn’thappen without overcoming some hurdles along the way.

“Back in April, I went with a local company here in upstateNew York (to build the trailer),” said Krogh. “I was contacted on a Mondayafternoon (and told) that the trailer was going to be delayed due to warehouse destructionfrom recent flooding. Knowing I had a commitment for a Fire DepartmentExhibition Show in June, I had to make a decision as to how I could get atrailer ASAP.

“That night, I searched the Internet for trailer companiesand came across Advantage Trailer. I picked out a trailer, called your company, and got Brian on the other line. His professionalism, knowledge, andwillingness to assist me with my dilemma was enough to convince me that I hadthe right company. From there, we chose a trailer to fit my needs and I made acommitment of purchase that evening.”

With a stock stage trailer that met his specifications on our lot and ready to go, Krogh had his trailer within a week and was able to meet his show deadline in mid-June. Since then, he and his team have conducted trainings with the trailer at more than 90 fire departments and counting.

By bringing the trailer directly to local fire departmentsand conducting the trainings there, National Grid is able to provide necessary,hands-on education, that includes:

• Understanding the properties and behavioralcharacteristics of natural gas
• Developing working relationships with NationalGrid employees
• Identifying the steps for developing a plan ofaction for a natural gas incident
• Identifying the atmospheric and physical safetyhazards associated with natural gas incidents
• Identifying consideration for assessing anatural gas leak inside or outside a structure

“At the conclusion of the training, we hand off a RemoteMethane Leak Detector unit that detects methane, which is a product that is putinto natural gas to give it that skunk smell,” Krogh said. “Fire departmentscan use this detector unit to detect gas from 100 feet away from a structure bypointing it through a glass window. With this technology, they have acapability of getting a natural gas reading from such a distance that wouldkeep them out of an explosive area if an explosive range percentage wasdetected.”

The program has been such a success over the past six months that Krogh andhis team are working to bring the same program to downstate New York and expandthe trailer to feature electrical poles as an extra layer of training.

Great work, National Grid team, and congratulations on beingnamed one of our top 10 trailers of 2019!

All photos provided by Kevin Krogh and Jerry Stockman from National Grid.