Galesburg Fire Chief Tom Simkins announced the arrival via an email Wednesday morning and said firefighters will train on it this week with Alexis Fire Equipment. The new engine will be in service early next week.  

“The 78-foot ladder truck is known as the Swiss army knife of the fire service because of its versatility and capabilities that are a mix of a pumper, ladder and rescue truck,” Simkins wrote in the email.  

Galesburg City Council approved the purchase of the new truck in February 2018 to replace the 1988 ladder truck damaged in the Route 41 crash. The cost was $684,174, according to City Council documents, and the department’s insurance carrier covered $623,775 for the claim.

With the recent opening on the town’s newest station on Boston Road, there have been new advances in fire prevention technology unveiled. From state-of-the-art life-saving devices, to an updated living and working space, to a new apparatus brought in to replace an aging engine, nothing stands out to the crew like the safety vestibule.  

When entering the new building, visitors pass through the lock-down room, which looks like any other office building vestibule. It is the small space between the parking lot and the the main lobby of the department’s HQ and has a window leading to the Office of Fire Prevention, staffed during business hours by Lt. Donald R. Parsons. To the left is a small, yellow box with a red button. That button locks both doors, not allowing anyone from the outside, in, and alerting central dispatch at the Westford Police Station of an emergency.

“UC San Diego is pleased that the San Diego City Council has approved a fire station to be built on the campus,” UCSD Chancellor Pradeep K.Khosla said. “We look forward to working together with the City of San Diego on this vital project. UC San Diego is significantly growing its enrollment to make the university one of the nation’s premier residential campuses and it is critical that we address life safety issues as part of our growth.”  

More than 36,000 students currently live on UCSD’s campus, with the school planning to add another 20,000 student beds by 2022. According to city officials, the rapid campus growth has led to an increase in incidents in an area that is currently outside the area that existing fire stations can cover.