SAM Case Study - Toronto Pearson International Airport Fire

Passenger Population Annually

Toronto Pearson’s fire division protects 50+ million passengers a year across three stations and 10 square miles of runways, terminals, and support buildings. With 100 full-time firefighters and 6,000+ calls annually—from aircraft alerts to medical assists—the department needs speed, reliability, and simplicity in every engine.

Severe Canadian winters had corroded existing apparatus, triggering an RFP for a new front-line pumper in 2022. Division Chief Leonard Sanders wanted a truck that would: 

• Resist preventable failures caused by salt and heavy usage 
• Cut complexity for crews accustomed to manual levers 
•  Last longer with minimal downtime and easier maintenance 

Pearson chose a SAM-equipped engine, which automates pump control, continuously runs self-diagnostics, and even self-primes for drafting. Its tablet-like interface feels familiar to today’s firefighters while eliminating manual valve sequencing, freeing an operator to focus on suppression instead of the panel.  

With SAM managing the panel, firefighters are freed up to handle other tasks. 

New recruits with minimal mechanical skills can learn to run the pump successfully.

Automatic priming and intake control save critical seconds during aircraft responses. 

Skeptical operators now call SAM’s efficiency “phenomenal”—and warn peers they’d be “making a big mistake” to ignore it 

 Reduced wear and early fault detection minimize corrosion-related downtime.