On September 30th, The Medford Fire Department celebrated their new arial ladder truck by conducting a traditional Push Back Ceremony.
During the days when fire pumps and other Department equipment were mounted on wagons and pulled by horses, firefighters would unhitch the horses, take them to their stalls and feed and water them as soon as they returned to the station. They would then clean the apparatus and its equipment and then push it back into the fire station bay. As it was then, so it is now, that the firefighters ensure that the apparatus is ready for the next call before they attend to their own needs.
The truck itself is built by Pierce Manufacturing Inc. It offers a 2000gpm water pump, and it is powered by a 525hp Detroit Diesel DD13.
The most important and prominent feature is its arial ladder. Pierce states it can reach heights of 100ft vertically or can be used for horizontal rescues of up to 93ft outwards.
Costs were not disclosed, but similar trucks start at around $850k depending on individual requested department specs. This truck will replace a MFD unit that has been in use since the late 1990’s.
Finally, this ladder truck sports a new red and black look for Medford Fire, along with their new updated department logo.
Courtesy of MFD and Pierce
