Prior to the start of the Greenacres City Council Meeting on Oct. 1, Fire Chief Mark Pure and Assistant Fire Chief Brian Fuller unveiled the city’s new ladder truck.
The state-of-the-art apparatus was purchased with the surtax dollars that the city received. Pure, Fuller and Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor Mike Wilson visited the Pierce plant in Wisconsin during the design phase to customize the truck to fit the city’s needs.
The cost of the truck was $778,088. It includes a 500-gallon water tank — far more than the 200-gallon tank in the truck it is replacing. In addition to the larger water tank, the new vehicle has a smaller turning radius, can carry much more equipment, including advanced life support medical gear, pump a larger amount of water, and the 75-foot ladder can be set up for a rescue within minutes.
The seats are made of a special non-absorbing material, and the interior air filtration system removes the harmful toxins firefighters are exposed to during their service. The old truck was used for more than 16 years until the manufacturer went out of business, making parts difficult to acquire and increasing maintenance costs. The vehicle is currently listed for sale with an online brokerage firm.
Greenacres Fire Rescue protects some very unique properties and other large commercial structures that can be reached by the ladder truck. It is also contracted to serve the City of Atlantis, which includes JFK Medical Center.
“A great deal of time and effort was spent designing this vehicle to perform several functions and effectively serve the citizens of Greenacres and Atlantis for many years to come,” said Pure, a resident of The Acreage.
During the Greenacres City Council meeting, the council issued two proclamations, one for Fire Prevention Week and the other for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Greenacres Fire Rescue personnel will be wearing pink t-shirts all month in support of breast cancer awareness.
