Pierce Ascendant Class of Aerials

The Ascendant Class of Aerials is a line of aerial fire apparatus built by Pierce Manufacturing.
==History & Production==
The Ascendant was introduced in 2015 originally as a compact single-axle 107-foot rear-mounted steel aerial ladder on a Pierce Enforcer chassis. This original configuration was designed as a "quint".
In 2016, Pierce introduced new chassis options as well as new body configurations for the single-axle Ascendant. Chassis options now included the Arrow XT, Impel, and Velocity. Body configurations now included the Texas Chute Out; a quint configuration with side-stacked hosebed and a "truck" configuration, with no pump and no tank. Pierce also introduced the PUC pump with the quint or Texas Chute Out body styles.
In 2017, Pierce expanded the Ascendant brand by introducing the Ascendant Class of Aerials: a series of new configurations including a 107' tandem rear axle ladder, 107' tractor-drawn, and 110' rear-mount platform on either a single or tandem rear axle.
In 2018, Pierce introduced another addition to the Ascendant Class of Aerials: the Ascendant 100' Heavy-Duty Tower, a 100' mid-mounted 5-section aerial platform. The Ascendant tower boasts a shorter overall length than Pierce's traditional 100' rear-mount platform and the 95' mid-mount platform, allowing for increased maneuverability and reduced tail-swing. The Ascendant tower also features integrated ground pads on the stabilizer jacks for faster setup of the aerial.
Between 2018 and 2019, Pierce built several tractor-drawn aerials for the Philadelphia Fire Department. These custom tillers were built with 102' "Ascendant style" ladders that featured no fixed waterway and similar characteristics to the 107' tiller. Since 2019, the 102' ladder has also been used on tillers for various departments, including Long Beach Fire Department (California), Levittown Fire Department (New York), and San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
In the years since its introduction, the Ascendant has become a very popular apparatus for fire departments, and a highly successful product for Pierce; with several hundred units currently in service across the United States and Canada. 
==Configurations & Specifications==
* Payload capacities are denoted by firefighter weight + equipment allowance
 	100' Heavy-Duty Aerial Tower 	102' Heavy-Duty Tiller 	107' Heavy-Duty Ladder 	107' Heavy-Duty Tiller 	110' Heavy-Duty Platform
Production 	2018-present 	2018-present 	2015-present (single axle)2017-present (tandem axle) 	2017-present 	2017-present
Configuration Style 	Mid-Mount Aerial 	Tractor-Drawn Aerial 	Rear-Mount Aerial 	Tractor-Drawn Aerial 	Rear-Mount Aerial
Custom Chassis 	Arrow XT (2018-2023)Enforcer (2022-)Velocity (2018-) 	Arrow XT (2018-2023)Enforcer (2022-)Velocity (2022-)	Arrow XT (2016-2023)Enforcer (2015-)Impel (2016-)Quantum (tandem axle, 2017-2023)Velocity (2016-) 	Arrow XT (2017-2023)Enforcer (2017-)Quantum (2017-2023)Velocity (2017-)	Arrow XT (2017-2023)Enforcer (2017-)Impel (2017-)Quantum (tandem axle, 2017-2023)Velocity (2017-)
Aerial Extension Capacity	100' vertical93' horizontal 	102' vertical95' horizontal 	107' vertical100' horizontal 	107' vertical100' horizontal 	110' vertical90' horizontal
Operating Range 	-20° to 77° 	-10° to 77° 	-10° to 77° 	-10° to 77° 	-10° to 77°
Payload Capacity 	1000+150 lbs. dry500+150 lbs. wet 	750+100 lbs. dry500+100 lbs. wet 	750+100 lbs. dry500+100 lbs. wet 	750+100 lbs. dry500+100 lbs. wet 	750+100 lbs. dry500+100 lbs. wet
Water Flow Capacity 	2000 US GPM 	1000 US GPM (ladder pipe only) 	1500 US GPM 	1500 US GPM 	1250 US GPM
Stabilizers 	1 pair of H-style outriggers + 2 pairs of downriggers	1 pair of H-style outriggers 	1 pair of H-style outriggers + 1 downrigger (single axle)1 pair of H-style outriggers + 1 pair of downriggers (tandem axle)	1 pair of H-style outriggers 	1 pair of H-style outriggers + 1 downrigger (single axle)1 pair of H-style outriggers + 1 pair of downriggers (tandem axle)
Outrigger Spread 	18' 	17' 	18' (single axle)16' (tandem axle) 	17' 	18' (single axle)16' (tandem axle)
Body Styles 	QuintTruck 	QuintTruck 	QuintTruckTexas Chute Out 	QuintTruck 	QuintTruckTexas Chute Out
Water Tank Capacity 	Up to 300 US gallons 	Up to 300 US gallons 	Up to 500 US gallons (single axle)Up to 750 US gallons (tandem axle) 	Up to 300 US gallons 	Up to 500 US gallons (single axle)Up to 750 US gallons (tandem axle)
PUC pump 	N/A 	Available 	Available 	Available 	Available
==Gallery==
Beacon falls truck 6 (view 2).JPG|An Ascendant 107' single axle aerial on an Enforcer chassis
File:Nichols ladder 304.JPG|An Ascendant 107' single axle aerial on an Enforcer chassis, with a raised roof 
Thorold Welland 098.jpg|An Ascendant 110' single axle platform on an Enforcer chassis
Madison tower 271.JPG|An Ascendant 100' Aerial Tower on a Velocity chassis
272460434 4949405585154033 4941055683357479718 n.jpg|A group shot of three Ascendant midmount towers, all on the Arrow XT chassis
Asc2.jpg|The logo of the original Pierce Ascendant 107' ladder
==External Links==
*Pierce Ascendant Class of Aerials 
Category:Pierce
Category:Aerial devices