Advanced Fire

Advanced Fire Company was established in 2001 by Ron and Roberta Cruder, born out of a family business from 1957. Mike Cruder wanted to start a business that would stand the test of time. In 1957 he decided on fire safety and began selling fire extinguishers door to door. He traveled by street car with his sample kits. His first extinguisher shop w... as a garage on Zeller Street in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Mike also had a passion for scuba diving and designed some of the first underwater breathing apparatus. As Mikes business grew his customers needed extinguishers serviced, so Mike bought a refill kit. By the early 1960s he was the first vendor in the Pittsburgh area to sell dry powder fire extinguishers. At this point Advanced Fire had established itself as a pioneer in Western Pennsylvania fire protection. In 1966, at the age of 15, Mikes son Ronald began working for the company. He would go on to be the president, managing company operations for over 50 years. Ron would usher in Pennsylvanias coal boom in the early 1970s - working above and below ground on fire protection for large mining operations. In 1992 Ron formed the sprinkler division with his wife Roberta Cruder and partner Bill Oldham. This expansion energized the company and created new opportunities in customer service. In 2010 Rons son Jered, seeing an increase in demand for monitoring and video based CCTV access control systems, started the security division of Advanced Fire. Jareds passion for technology, digital networks and integrated location security made this division a huge value to their customers. This was also the next step in establishing Advanced Fire as a third generation business with strong roots in the community of Western Pennsylvania. In August of 2020 the Cruders decided to build on this legacy by joining forces with CertaSite. For them, this partnership was an opportunity to enrich their customers experience, shared values and code of ethics. With new perspective and expanded capabilities they are excited to spearhead the ...Read More