LADDER TRUCK TO BE REPLACED
By Joanne Saidman
HV staff
The Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department plans to put a new ladder truck
in service by the end of 1996 to provide safer and better service to the
citizens of Hyattsville and surrounding areas.
It should be delivered in October and go in service about two months later.
The new ladder truck will replace a 1974 Seagrave Tiller truck that was
purchased from the Fire Department of New York and has been refurbished
twice. In New York for ten years, the truck responded in the city's Chinatown
section and was among the busiest in the country. Ladder trucks usually
have a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years.
Deputy Chief Tim Lorenzano said the new truck will not need as many repairs,
and if it should need repairs, the parts will be easier to obtain.
The new ladder truck is a 1995 Pierce Lance Tiller with a 100-foot ladder.
There is an extended cab that seats seven firefighters, and with the tiller
driver it can carry a crew of eight.
The new truck will respond to calls faster with the turbo charged, 500 horse
power engine and four-speed automatic transmission. It is safer, more powerful
and more efficient.
More compartment space and more ground ladders are two more of the advantages
to the new truck. There will be a light tower and additional lights for
on-scene illumination.
The ladder is equipped with a pre-piped waterway, which allows for faster
and safer distribution of high volume water flow. Lorenzano said it is more
effective for truck company operations.
The ladder on the new truck is much more versatile. Technology of the 1970's
limited the capabilities of the old ladder by only allowing it to elevate
to certain heights at certain distances.
The new ladder has the capabilities to hold up to 500 pounds and reach higher
elevations in addition to extending horizontally, which can help rescuing
someone in the water.
The new truck provides three-point harnesses for all firefighters riding
in the truck. In addition, the new truck is more structurally sound. There
is power steering on the tiller axle and the jacks provide better support
when the ladder is raised.
Lorenzano said the department chose a tiller truck again because it is "more
maneuverable and more flexible with routes you can take [to respond]."
Some new equipment for the new truck will be necessary before use. With
the cost of the new tools, the price of the new truck will be about $610,000.
The new truck will be painted the same as the old truck, to match the other
HVFD apparatus. The main color will be red with a white stripe. For better
reflection at night there will be a reflective stripe as well. The seals
of the City of Hyattsville and the HVFD will appear on the ladder.
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Updated 4/29/96