Salinas Fire Department gets two new emergency vehicles

The Salinas Fire Department made room for two new fire vehicles on Friday. The department received a fire engine and, for the first time in many years, a tiller-type ladder truck – a larger vehicle with a driver in the back.

“This is the first hook-and-ladder truck that the Salinas Fire Department has seen in over 45 years,” Battalion Chief Brett Loomis said.

Loomis said the vehicles, whichwere built in Wisconsin, cost the city $1.1 million. Forthe city,that’s a small price to pay for residents’ safety.

In July 2013, a large fire destroyed an apartment building on Acosta Street in East Salinas. Firefighters said they had to call in multiple agencies for help because they lacked the right equipment.

“There were a lot of occupants in the apartment complex that had to be relocated and moved to a safe location. The fire was pretty intense. It was pretty hard to keep in check and to keep from spreading from adjacent structures,” Battalion Chief Herb Shoemaker said.

Shoemaker said it was that fire that made the department push for a new tiller ladder truck.

“The configuration of the tiller rig is such that we can maneuver very easily through narrow streets,” Shoemaker said.

That means responding faster and putting fires out more quickly.

“It’s going to allow us to serve portions of the community that we couldn’t serve with our existing ladder truck,” Loomis said.

Firefighters said there is still work to be done on the two vehicles. They expect the ladder truck to bereadyfor use on fire callsby mid-April.