In the City of Deltona, FL., they want to buy a ladder truck with a 100 ft. ladder. It will ocst Deltona about $1,100,000 for the brand new truck.
The tallest building in Deltona is a story building, about 30-40 feet.
From Firehouse.com: Volusia County's largest city must decide whether to buy a million-dollar ladder truck for its fire department, but the tallest building in Deltona is only about three stories tall.
WFTV asked if the expense was really necessary.
Fire Chief Robert Staples spread out plans Monday for the next firefighting tool on his wish list: a 100-foot aerial platform ladder truck. It would cost just under $1.1 million, which is double what the city paid for a smaller aerial truck eight years ago.
"Money's tight and I think we can do a lot better than what they asked for. Plus, if you really look around, do we really need a super-duper ladder truck?" resident Nancy Schleicher questioned.
Residents point out that Deltona's biggest buildings are usually big box stores. The fire chief conceded there aren't a lot of high-rises, but said big buildings necessitate a big truck.
WFTV asked if the expense was really necessary.
Fire Chief Robert Staples spread out plans Monday for the next firefighting tool on his wish list: a 100-foot aerial platform ladder truck. It would cost just under $1.1 million, which is double what the city paid for a smaller aerial truck eight years ago.
"Money's tight and I think we can do a lot better than what they asked for. Plus, if you really look around, do we really need a super-duper ladder truck?" resident Nancy Schleicher questioned.
Residents point out that Deltona's biggest buildings are usually big box stores. The fire chief conceded there aren't a lot of high-rises, but said big buildings necessitate a big truck.
The real reason is that a brand new ladder truck is fun toy to play with and to show off to your neighbors.
This is a problem throughout the country, especially since 9-11. The fire department wants more money to spend on trucks and personnel, all in the name of being safe in an emergency. the fire department invokes 9-11 and terrorism and they get the money.
Well, it has to stop. It doesn't take a lot to put out a fire. Water is pretty much it. You need good pumpers and an occasional ladder truck if the fire is out of control to put out a fire along with firefighters. It's a really simple equation. You don't need the state of the art pumpers and ladder trucks to put out a fire. Just some good hose and hose jockeys.
So, if a community says it needs a really expensive fire truck, check it out- they probably don't need it.
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