Nick McWilliams reporting – Welcoming in their first new ladder truck since 1986, the New Philadelphia Fire Department celebrated with community members to christen the new vehicle.
The Pierce Enforcer 100-foot Ascentant Tower was outfitted recently for service, and was brought into the firehouse with the aid of some community members, who joined firefighters despite cold and sometimes rainy weather Friday.
Fire Chief Jim Parrish was pleased with the turnout, and said that the new equipment is a welcome addition to their fleet.
“We can get this truck in places where we couldn’t get our other truck because of the all-wheel steering. It’s 40-foot long, and it’ll turn around in a 35-foot radius. So we can get into the cul-de-sacs and places we couldn’t get with our other ladder. The very positive thing that we have going on now is we have the people to run it, so we can run an engine and a ladder simultaneously.”
Parrish also thanked Mayor Joel Day and all of council for helping make the purchase of the new ladder truck simple, and for replacing an outfit that had been a continually source of issues in recent years.
The chief added that the ladder brings state-of-the-art equipment that puts NPFD at the forefront of fire suppression operations.
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