The district hasn’t owned a ladder truck of any kind before, but the purchase was necessary to maintain the district’s fire insurance rating, said Fire Chief Randy Johnson. “It’s a good addition to the capacity of the district,” he said.  

The 1995 Simon Duplex truck was purchased from the Yakima Fire Department for $50,000. It has a platform on the end of a 102-foot ladder where firefighters can stand and direct water on a fire below. Captain Megan Hill joked that it was a “one owner, low miles” purchase. Despite its age, it has just under 40,000 miles on it and still has plenty of life, Hill said.

During a construction update presented to members of the Gainesville City Council on Tuesday, April 2, Twiner said one of the reasons fire department administration, as well as city leaders, decided to build the new station was limited access to overhead doors. He said a lot of their engines had to be custom-built.  

“Being two-story it was a safety risk, as well,” Twiner said of the oldest city-owned building.