The Carson City Fire Department announced a new ladder truck is in service on Wednesday morning.
Officials said Ladder 50 was put into service with the traditional push-in ceremony at Station 52.
Ladder 50 is a tiller driven truck with an aerial ladder that extends to 107 feet.
For over ten years, the department struggled with multi-story structure fires without the use of a ladder truck, a need that until Wednesday, was fulfilled with mutual aid from neighboring counties.
“Today is a great day for the Carson City Fire Department as we place Ladder 50 into service. Ladder 50 greatly enhances our response capabilities and improves our service levels to the Capital City of Nevada,” said Carson City Fire Chief Sean Slamon. “I want to thank the Board of Supervisors and City Manager Paulson for supporting the purchase of Carson City’s only Ladder Truck. I also want to thank our department’s Apparatus Committee for designing the specifications for the truck, the committee designed a very functional and capable ladder truck that will serve the city with pride over the next twenty years.”
It's been over a year since the Board of Supervisors approved the ladder truck's purchase. After the approval, the department's Apparatus Committee went to work, devoting countless hours into researching the operational capabilities, costs, maintenance, mechanical fulfillment, longevity, and later coordinating the design aspects. They eventually purchased a Tractor Drawn Aerial Truck (TDA) which has a 70-gallon compressed air foam system for extinguishing car fires, dumpster and trash fires, and other kinds of fire responses. The TDA has a better turning radius and maneuverability than other ladder trucks which was perfect for Carson City.
The fully tailored apparatus was made possible through the dedicated efforts of Apparatus Committee members Micah Horton, Diego Aramburu, Chris Mason, Travis Boggs, Chad Harns, Jeff Linscott, Pete Ryan and Ryan Bailey.
The ladder truck has a multitude of uses, from being able to put out a large volume of water above the fire to setting up ropes for a technical rescue.
Ladder 50 is housed at Station 52 on East College Parkway and initially arrived on December 9. Designated crews required training and practice before making it fully operational.
The body of Ladder 50 is made from aluminum and stainless steel, and is decked with the Carson City Fire Department's colors.
