The Berea Fire Department will be able to purchase a new ladder truck as the result of a $797,667 federal Assistance to Firefighters grant. The department's current ladder truck is 30 years old. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the grant, which was announced by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in early July.
Berea Safety Director Barb Jones said the purchase of the truck, which costs more than $1 million, would not have been possible now without the grant.
"It's been in our budget for several years ... and our current truck is about 10 years past its intended life span," Jones explained July 20 in an interview. "It doesn't meet current safety standards, so we would have had to do something. There's not a huge market for it due to its age, but we'll attempt to dispose of it either through donation or auction, or use it as part of the trade-in if they can use it for parts."