Anticipation is building at the Salmon Arm Fire Department, as the delivery of a new fire truck rolls closer.
This is no ordinary truck – it’s Salmon Arm’s brand new 2022 Rosenbauer Commander Aerial Platform ‘Tower 3,’ which is expected to arrive near the end of April.
“We’re excited to receive the new piece of equipment,” said Fire Chief Brad Shirley, pointing out firefighters will need a significant amount of training with it before it’s put into service.
“It’s a much larger unit than our current truck… It is a tandem axle so some members have to upgrade to class 3… It’s also a much taller ladder,” he said, explaining it also has a bucket on the end of the ladder the current one doesn’t have.
Shirley and Deputy Chief Gary Lebeter went to Red Deer, Alta. to do a final inspection.
He said the new truck will really make a difference for how high crews can go to a building, how close they can get to it.
The 104-foot ladder, about double the length of the current one, can reach seven to eight storeys, he said.
Although Salmon Arm’s tallest buildings currently are six storeys, Shirley said one of the reasons the fire department chose a bigger truck is because the department has to keep it for 25 years. The way the city is growing, the extra height will likely be needed.
The truck is worth $1.6 million.
Read more: Salmon Arm Fire Department to double its reach with new $1.5 million ladder truck
Read more: Age requirement for firefighters in Salmon Arm lowered
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