?Ladder 1? is delivered

by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor

With the delivery of Rogers City?s new aerial ladder truck comes improved working conditions for volunteer firefighters, as well as a chance to prevent large structure fires from spreading to other buildings, local authorities believe. The truck, which is a 1987 Grumman 50-foot Tele Squirt, arrived in Rogers City Saturday at 2 a.m.

There were some minor equipment problems Friday before it left West Shore Fire of Allendale, but the driver arrived early in the day Saturday for the scheduled media event several hours later. It was on display at Rogers City Hall for a short time, before moving over to North Shore Park behind the Driftwood Hotel for a demonstration of the ladder and water pumping capability. From the parking lot of the park, water was sprayed from the nozzle at the top of the ladder to just past where the water meets the beach. The cost of the truck, detailing, as well as new equipment, is $61,455.

?WE LOOKED at trucks in the past and they all have been in the $130,000 to $150,000 range, but have not been as nice as this truck,? said city councilman Patrick Lamb. ?For the age of the truck it is in very good condition,? said RCFD chief Tim Luebke. ?She pumps well. The ladder is in extremely good shape. There is really no wear to it, to speak of, and it is going to give us better capability with the taller buildings, especially in the downtown district, and the larger area buildings like the stores.? A department in Virginia Beach, Virginia had used the truck. Luebke said RCFD already has received new certification for the pump and ladder. Some of other minor glitches such as repairs to lights that worked back in the shop were to be taken care of by a West Shore Fire mechanic this week.

?It is going to be of great use to the Rogers City Fire Department for the obvious reasons of safety. Instead of having to have these guys get on roofs, they?ll be able to use this,? said Lamb. ?From my own perspective at O-N Minerals, it will be helpful if we ever, unfortunately, have an accident.?

THERE ARE critics, who believe the equipment is not needed. ?As far as people saying what do we need thi

s for, we already have had one very negative comment this morning saying, ?Why do they need that now, the only building they needed it for burned down last year,? ? said Luebke. ?Besides the courthouse, we have many large buildings in the business district. You cannot get between the buildings to put ladders up.? Luebke said it takes less time to set the aerial equipment up than it does to remove ladders from the truck and set them up. One of the obvious benefits is to have the truck in town and not have to wait for another department to drive 35 minutes to an hour with a ladder truck to assist with a major blaze.

?The truck is a 1987, but it is in excellent condition,? said Jeff Dupilka, president of West Shore Fire. Lamb said the city received generous donations from businesses and local industries, as well as a zero percent interest loan from the county.