Jacksonville Fire Department is inviting the community to help it welcome the newest apparatus in its fleet.
The department will have a commissioning ceremony for its new $1.9 million ladder truck starting at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the fire station at 200 W. Douglas Ave. The event will start with an open house of the station and a new aerial viewing before the ceremony starts at 5:15 p.m.
The ceremony will mark the department’s addition of a new Pierce Ascendant fire truck, which features a 100-foot extendable ladder and is capable of outputting 2,000 gallons of water a minute. Chief Matt Summers said the new vehicle “can do everything that a fire engine can do” while having the capabilities of a ladder truck.
Firefighters spent several days this week acquainting themselves with the addition.
The new truck distinguishes itself from other vehicles in the department’s garage via its ladder, which can reach up to 10 stories high, Summers said. The ladder has a bucket at one end capable of supporting up to 1,000 pounds, making rescue situations much safer for both firefighters and those being rescued, he said.
“Can you imagine just climbing a 100-foot ladder up 10 stories and back down with a victim in your hands?” Summers said. “That victim could weigh several hundred pounds or heavier. A (firefighter) weighs several hundred pounds, plus 50 to 100 pounds of gear. Whereas, (if) we have a bucket, we can put them in that bucket and lower them to the ground much safer.”
The truck’s ladder also can be used to rescue people trapped in grain bins, caught in a body of water or who have fallen down a manhole, Summers said. When combined with its water pump, which can be controlled from a console on the truck itself, firefighters can put out large fires much more quickly and safely, he said. The new addition is expected to be particularly helpful as more downtown Jacksonville buildings fill with occupants and businesses, which increase fire risk, he said.
“To be able to elevate and get up above a large, say, commercial fire, you can put a lot of water on that fire and extinguish a fire with way less risk and at a way faster pace when you can put 1,000-plus gallons of water on a fire,” he said. “That’s huge.”
The truck will replace a 2002 model that was sold to South Jacksonville Fire Department, Summers said, noting that department has needed a new truck for two years. The old Jacksonville truck will allow the South Jacksonville department to take care of fires in the village’s high-rise buildings, he said.
“We back them up, they back us up but, in the history of Jacksonville, there’s been … many times we’ve needed multiple aerial(s),” Summers said.
The new truck is “a win” for the Jacksonville community, Summers said, adding that it is a much smoother drive for crews and allows them to rescue people much faster. The department aims to keep its firefighting equipment as up to date as possible, he said.
“Just those couple of little safety improvements alone make it a win for Jacksonville, for our firefighters and our capabilities,” he said.