Rescue 1 was founded by Martin (Bud) V. Smock, a true entrepreneur in the emergency vehicle manufacturing industry. His forward thinking and passion led to many ambulance and rescue innovations over the years.

As owner of a family owned business, Bud’s vision for the company was to offer high quality customized products while establishing personalized relationships with each individual customer.

In 1986, Bud introduced the RESCUE 1 line of fire and rescue support vehicles. He applied his same philosophy of manufacturing a high quality custom product while maintaining customer focus. Since that time, RESCUE 1 has grown to be a national leader in the heavy rescue market. Based on increased rescue customer demands, the company has expanded with a 25,000 square foot addition to further accommodate RESCUE 1 production.

The company celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006 and remains dedicated to meeting customer’s needs for quality, value and reliability. The longevity of the company and the strength its dealer network and sales force has enabled it to continually improve on its commitment to provide customized solutions for its customer’s specific needs.

With Bud's passing in 2006, Jean S. Smock has assumed the role as CEO and owner of PL Custom Emergency Vehicles and Rescue 1. Jean is proud to lead the PL/R1 family of employees, dealer networks, and sales representatives, all of whom continue to uphold Bud's vision and traditions that have been established over the past 36 years.

Rescue 1, was launched in 1985 and quickly became the premier quality manufacturer of Custom Heavy Rescue Apparatus. PL Custom Emergency Vehicles, the parent company of Rescue 1, has been manufacturing emergency vehicles since 1946.

Rescue 1 was initially marketed to Fire & Rescue Departments in the Northeast. National distribution of Rescue 1 began in the late 1990’s to accommodate increased product demand.

Rescue 1 offers all models of rescue vehicles, walk-in, non walk-in and crew walk-in. All rescue body layouts are custom designed for each individual fire department's requirements, supporting their needs for Extrication, Fire Support, Fire Command, Communications, Hazmat, Air and Lighting, etc. All makes and models of chassis, custom and/or commercial are available.

Rescue 1 constructs all rescue apparatus to comply with the latest NFPA standards.

Rescue 1 specializes in state of the art rescue vehicles. The engineering and production staff dedicate 100% of their resources to the design and manufacture of the BEST rescue units available.

Rescue 1, a small manufacturer by design, is able to focus on the customer’s specialized needs. Production schedules are tailored to permit individual Fire Departments to participate in the final design and layout of their Rescue Unit while it is in manufacturing.

Rescue 1 maintains a manufacturing facility in Manasquan, New Jersey, less than an hour from a major airport, making vehicle inspection trips easy. This is especially important during the tool mounting phase.

Tool mounting at our manufacturing plant is a unique feature in our industry.