FeedsCouncil OKs new fire truck purchase
In 16 months, the Wayne Fire Department will be the envy of western Wayne County.
By then the department should be in possession of a new 134-foot aerial platform ladder truck with an articulating boom. That, according to Craig Peterson of LTM Fire Equipment of Pontiac, is a fancy way to say ‘one sweet ride.’
“You have just purchased the most advanced apparatus out on the market right now,” he told the council after they approved the purchase of the $1.1 million truck.
The new truck will replace the 110-foot ladder truck the department uses now, according to Fire Chief Tim Reynolds. Not only can it reach higher, but the articulated ladder is more flexible, he said.
“The top 26 feet articulate, so you can get out over the parapets on the side of a building,” he said. “We can also lower it down to the river level if we need to rescue someone.”
The new truck will be able to reach the top of Wayne Towers. The current truck can only reach the 10th floor–to go any higher, firefighters have to secure a ladder in the bucket and climb.
The size of the department and the number of large facilities in the city make the truck a necessity, he added.
“We need the equipment to make up for the difference for us and to keep it safe for our guys,” Reynolds said. “This will keep us efficient in what we’re doing.”
The truck was slightly more expensive than initially thought, but the two low bids did not meet the specifications of the fire department.
Mayor Al Haidous said it was a justifiable expense, though.
“Any dollar you spend to save a life is a good dollar,” Haidous said. “It’s money well spent.”
