Town of Batavia Fire Department took delivery of a new ladder truck this week and it should go into service within a couple of weeks.
Ladder 22 is the second ladder truck for the fire department, will be housed at Station 2, and become a primary response apparatus on many calls, said Paul Barrett, a past chief who was chairman of the committee overseeing this purchase.
The truck replaces two pieces of equipment, a tanker sold a couple of years ago in anticipation of buying this truck, and an engine that was recently sold.
"If you have to do a rescue, it's a two-fold piece of equipment," Barrett said. "It's got engine company equipment on it. We can do all your engine-type work and also truck work. So it's like a combination piece for us."
Town of Batavia already had Ladder 25, which remains at Station #1. That truck has a 100-foot ladder with a bucket. Ladder 22 is a 75-foot straight stick.
With growth on the east side of Batavia, from new housing to the ag park, along with calls to College Village, the new ladder will help improve the department's capabilities for the kinds of situations they might face.
"With its versatility and with it being in a single axle, it's shorter than the other truck or ladder truck, which will allow us to get into places that we wouldn't be able to get the other," said Chief Dan Coffey.
It cost $830,000 and acquiring it was a three-year-long project, including a year from the time the custom-built truck was ordered until delivery.
The truck carries 480 gallons of water and 20 gallons of Class A foam. It can pump 1,500 gallons per minute.
Training for firefighters on the new truck starts this week. Once training is completed, it can be placed in service.
Night photo by Paul Barrett.
