Rural/Metro Wins Industrial Fire and Security Contract for Bethlehem Steel Corporation.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 1999--

Rural/Metro Corporation (Nasdaq:RURL) has been awarded the contract to provide industrial fire protection and security services to Bethlehem Steel Corporation's facility in Burns Harbor, Ind.

The contract, which started Oct. 1, is valued at approximately $16 million over five years, with an additional five-year option. Rural/Metro won the contract through a competitive bidding process.

"The Bethlehem Steel contract is another validation of the strength of Rural/Metro's specialty safety and fire protection services," said John Furman, president and chief executive officer of Rural/Metro. "We believe our focus on quality, customer service and meeting the special needs of industrial customers sets Rural/Metro apart from our competitors. This contract also is evidence of our previously announced intention to focus greater attention on our historical strengths in fire and safety protection for industrial customers to offset the current challenging healthcare reimbursement environment impacting our ambulance services operations."

Bethlehem Steel Corporation is a leading national steel producer, with shipments of more than 8.6 million tons of steel in 1998. Rural/Metro will provide fire protection and unarmed security services for Bethlehem Steel's 3,200-acre Burns Harbor Division. The manufacturing plant produces hot rolled sheet, cold rolled sheet, corrosion-resistant coated sheet steel and plates. Rural/Metro's Bethlehem Steel operation will include firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and security guards who will protect approximately 200 buildings and serve the 6,000 people employed there.

"The scope of operations and the size of the Burns Harbor Division demands exceptional performance from its fire protection and security provider," said Walter N. Bargeron, president of Bethlehem Steel's Burns Harbor Division. "We believe that Rural/Metro and the Burns Harbor Division is an excellent match and that by working together we will be able to provide the highest levels of professional protection available."

Larry Williams, president of Rural/Metro's Specialty Safety and Fire Protection Group, said, "Rural/Metro's position as a leading provider of specialty safety and fire protection services is evidenced by the Company's superior performance at industrial sites and airports throughout the United States and Latin America. Our specialty safety and fire protection services focus on customer' needs, with attention to prevention and suppression techniques adapted to industry type. We believe the reliability and cost-effectiveness of our specialty safety and fire protection services, which include all aspects of industrial and airport protection, set Rural/Metro apart as a leading private-sector provider of these services."

Rural/Metro's 10 Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) customers include the Federal Express Airport in Memphis, Tenn.; Sikorsky Aircraft Support Services in Troy, Ala.; and the Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, among others.

Rural/Metro's industrial fire expertise began in 1991 with a joint venture with Rotterdam International Safety Centre (RISC) in the Netherlands. Today, Rural/Metro operates the Emergency Response Training Center (ERTC), an 85-acre fixed training facility north of Mobile, Ala. The Center was founded in 1995 by the Greater Mobile Emergency Preparedness Association (GMEPA), a coalition of industrial leaders in the chemical, petroleum, pulp/paper and power fields. The ERTC was designed by -- and its curriculum adapted from -- RISC.

In addition, Rural/Metro offers mobile training units that provide a variety of custom-designed industrial fire training programs at customers' sites, including courses for petroleum, chemical, pulp and paper, power generation, airports, shipping, and hazardous materials. The company's mobile ERTC, which complements the programs offered at the Alabama facility, provides live burn scenarios that create realistic training environments. The Rural/Metro ERTC is available not only to GMEPA members, but also to companies nationwide. Clients include Chevron, Amoco, DuPont and Boise Cascade.

Rural/Metro also offers its specialty safety and fire customers a depth of resources capable of responding to a variety of crisis situations that may occur within many of its 450 client communities. For example, Rural/Metro has deployed hundreds of ambulances from numerous states to Georgia, South Carolina and Florida in response to multiple threats from hurricanes. Over the years, Rural/Metro has similarly marshaled its resources for incidents such as train derailments and petrochemical tanker fires.

Rural/Metro Corporation provides an array of specialty safety and fire protection services, in addition to 911 and general ambulance transportation services, to municipal, residential, commercial and industrial customers in more than 450 communities throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America.

Except for historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks include the impact of global economic changes, the success of marketing efforts, business integration issues, demand for the Company's services and other factors and other risks disclosed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports and filings.