The view from the top: Station is the nation’s first to use elite hook and ladder truck.
Published in: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, GA)
Date: 9/29/2007
By: Larry Gierer
What Deputy Fire Chief David Starling calls a “dream truck” has finally arrived.
“This really has about everything,” he said Friday morning at the Columbus Fire and Emergency Medical Services Training Academy, where the new truck went through some maneuvers.
The truck, which holds 300 gallons of water, is equipped with everything for fighting fires, including a 100 foot tall ladder. That’s taller than any other ladder in the department, Starling said.
It’s equipped to handle emergencies with a “Jaws of Life” extraction device in the front of the truck.
“We’ll be able to help people escape a vehicle from either side,” he said.
The truck is also equipped with a full medical cabinet equipped with everything an emergency medical technician would need.
The $920,000 unit is the first E-One 100-foot platform truck of this kind delivered by the manufacturer.
“We were approved to buy a bucket truck and the city of Columbus and Chief Jeff Meyer wanted the best truck out there for the citizens of Columbus, so that’s what we bought,” Starling said. “This truck was specifically designed for our department by the engineers at E-one to respond to fire fighting, medical and rescue calls.”
Starling said that different city officials and departments have supported the efforts of the Columbus Fire and EMS to stay on top of the latest technology and purchase “state-of-the art” equipment.
“The mayor, the city manager, just everybody has been supportive,” Starling said.
The new truck has many innovative features, including an all-new variable speed control system which elevates and rotates quicker based on the platform position and delivers superior control.
The platform design features a total of 25.4 square feet with an interior working space of 18.9 square feet. Dual inward-swinging doors on the 45-degree front-angled corners provide 180-degree access to the scene and allow simultaneous transfer of personnel and equipment at three points for loading and unloading. With the narrow jack spread of a little more than 15 feet, the platform requires less space for side-to-side setup.
There are sensors, Starling said, which can prevent the truck from hitting something as well as sensors to shut down the operation if the truck is not balanced properly.
In a company press release, Bob McDonel, dealer principal of Fireline Inc., the dealer for E-One in Georgia and South Carolina, said: “Columbus Fire and Rescue and EMS is a very progressive department. They recognize the benefits of deploying the latest technology and providing their department members with the best equipment and training available. We were excited to help them specify this truck to meet their demanding constantly-evolving needs.”
Starling said the new truck will be kept at Station No. 1 downtown.
“This is really a great addition,” Starling said. “It’s going to be something really beneficial to Columbus citizens.”