NH&L’s New Ladder Truck Makes Its Debut

By Andrew Gorosko

The Newtown Hook and Ladder Volunteer Fire Company’s new ladder truck is now in service.

The $600,000 bright red truck, which was custom-built for the town by Pierce Manufacturing, Inc, in Appleton, Wisconsin, went into service August 22, replacing a Seagrave ladder truck which had been in use since 1976.

The new vehicle, designated Truck 114, greatly expands the town’s firefighting capabilities, said Newtown Hook and Ladder Fire Chief Dave Ober.

The 31-ton computerized truck has a sophisticated all-wheel steering system, which allows the 40-foot-long vehicle to nimbly maneuver in tight spaces, steering as if it were only as large as a full-sized pickup truck, Chief Ober said. All six wheels on the town-owned fire truck turn when maneuvering the vehicle in confined areas.

The steering system allows Truck 114 to travel on any road in town and turn up and into virtually every driveway, Chief Ober said. “The maneuverability of this truck is tremendous,” he said.

The new truck has a 46-foot turning radius compared to a 99-foot turning radius on the shorter truck which it replaces.

The capabilities of the truck’s 105-foot-long telescopic ladder exceed those of the 100-foot-long ladder on the truck that it replaces, he said. The telescopic ladder contains a telescopic water line to place a deluge of water on fires from above.

The new vehicle allows firemen to place much more weight at the end of the extended ladder. Also, the ladder is more maneuverable, and can be extended horizontally from the truck.

Rich Liska, Jr, who is Hook and Ladder’s chief engineer, said the ladder on the new truck is much safer to use than the ladder on the truck it replaces. The new truck has a 750-pound tip load limit compared to a 200-pound tip load limit on the former ladder truck.

The new truck has a quadruple outrigger system, which stabilizes the vehicle when its telescopic ladder is in use. The outriggers employ hydraulic jacks to lift the truck’s wheels off the ground to stabilize it.

The new fire truck is able to clear all overpasses in town, Chief Ober said.

Chief Ober said he expects the new truck to travel to 100 or more fire calls per year. Crews which will use the truck have received specialized training. Sixteen firemen have been trained, so far. The truck holds a driver and five passengers in an enclosed cab.

Of the new ladder truck, Chief Ober said, “Most of the guys are very receptive to it because of its capabilities.”

The new ladder truck will be displayed in the town’s Labor Day Parade on Monday, September 3.