It is indeed true that Medford currently has one extractor and one drier, located at the fire headquarters on Main Street. The extractor can only wash one set of gear at a time, and takes about an hour and a half. It takes at least an additional two hours to dry, but the driers can accommodate two to three uniforms at the same time.

The Fire Department, which has three fire companies, has in its fleet four engines, three SUVs, two ladder trucks, a rescue truck and a squad truck. The other ladder truck, also housed at the Alert firehouse, was manufactured by Ladder Towers Inc. in 1998. It also is out of service, as it undergoes tens of thousands of dollars worth of repairs. The department is using a ladder truck on loan from the county.

"It's a more capable truck with a larger water tank," Nuner said. "And with the type of fire behavior we have (now), especially with what we call wildland interface -- areas where wildlands run up against municipalities and residential developments -- that'll be handy to have."