CHARLOTTE, Mich, April 19, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spartan Chassis, a subsidiary of Spartan Motors, Inc. (Nasdaq:SPAR - News), has been dedicated to enhancing the safety of firefighters for nearly four decades, and the introduction of the Spartan Advanced Protection System (APS) at the April 19 -- 21 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) is the next evolution of this commitment.

"A pioneering blend of industry-first airbag and safety belt protections will make occupants safer than ever before," said Dennis Schneider, president of Spartan Emergency Response, based in Charlotte, Mich. "At Spartan, innovation and global are key strategic directives.

"Spartan APS represents a global partnership with Takata as we leapfrog the competition with the most advanced safety system in emergency response. It is a multi-dimensional safety system. Spartan, a leader in emergency response, and Takata, a global leader in safety systems, together have developed Spartan APS."

Takata supplies safety systems including airbag protection and innovative seat belt systems for all vehicle types and has 49 manufacturing facilities in 18 countries across five continents.

The Spartan chassis, equipped with the Spartan APS, offers OEMs the following innovations in cab safety:

• Steering wheel-mounted driver airbag
• Custom sized front side and rear side full-curtain airbags
• Officer and driver knee airbags
• Advanced seat belts with pretensioning and load limiting
• Restraint control module
• Outboard sensors around the cab perimeter

"The Spartan APS front side airbags are 300 percent larger than those of the competition, and the rear side curtain, which provides complete window coverage, is 700 percent larger than any other system on the road," says Schneider. "Spartan APS is the first to offer this much protection against rollovers, side impact and occupant ejection.

"Our advanced seat belts -- which react to body movements in the event of a crash -- are also industry firsts, with innovative designs reducing loads on the chest and torso during impact. Additionally, our unique process of outboard sensors establishes a one-of-a-kind 'zone of safety' with higher sensitivity to 'go/no-go' conditions and airbag deployment during side impact events, all of which are features only offered by Spartan APS."

For more information on Spartan's Advanced Protection System, visit www.spartanchassis.com.

About Spartan Motors

Spartan Motors, Inc. designs, engineers and manufactures specialty chassis, specialty vehicles, truck bodies and aftermarket parts for the recreational vehicle, emergency response, government services, defense, and delivery and service markets. The company's brand names -- Spartan(TM), Spartan ERV(TM) and Utilimaster(R) - are known for quality, performance, service and first-to-market innovation. The company employs approximately 1,700 associates at facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Indiana, Florida and Texas. Spartan reported sales of $426 million in 2011 and is focused on becoming a global leader in the design, engineering and manufacture of specialty vehicles and chassis. Visit Spartan Motors at www.spartanmotors.com.