Since the department officially took delivery of the truck in September, Whittaker said it has been used in a number of situations people wouldn't normally associate it with -- from structure fires to accidents. When the councils, through the fire services committee, first started to consider replacing the ladder truck they decommissioned about five years ago, they were concerned about committing such a large amount of funds to a piece of equipment that would be used only sporadically.

Besides giving crews the ability to gain access to the taller structures such as Klondike Place, the elevators and a number of apartment buildings in town, the aerial truck has a number of built-in capabilities, which will make firefighters more effective and keep them safer on the job. Attached to the 105-foot ladder, is a basket with a 1,000-pound capacity, which gives firefighters a working platform to work from, in large part because they can access water and air from the basket.

The basket also has connections for power and hoses and it actually has its own nozzle that sprays 1,500 gallons of water per minute.

In addition, T6 holds 500 gallons of water and has a 100-gallon tank of special encapsulating foam, which is particularly useful in battling house, or petroleum fires. Another benefit of the aerial truck is the added capability in combating fires in large buildings that are not necessarily tall, but long and wide. "Anything that has a large surface area, such as our grocery stores, downtown building blocks and our schools, if there is a fire, we would call out the ladder truck," he said, adding many rural buildings fall into the same category. Because currently T6 is the only aerial truck in the region the BFD expects other fire departments to request it as part of their mutual-aid agreements.

As a result, city staff proposed four locations for a new substation Tuesday night: the former site of Watsonville Farm Supply, Franich Park, Fowle Reservoir and Joyce Street Park.

Watsonville Fire Chief Pablo Baretto, Mayor Felipe Hernandez and City Councilmembers Jimmy Dutra and Rebecca Garcia voiced support for the two-parcel Watsonville Farm Supply site located on E. Lake Ave. However, this option is the most expensive — an estimated $2.1 million — due to its location on a main thoroughfare.

Of the four proposals, city staff recommended Franich Park, which is located at the corner of Menasco Drive and Vista Montana Drive next to Ann Soldo Elementary School. The Franich Park site is attractive because it could be a long-term permanent solution and is the cheapest with an estimate cost of $750,000 to $1.2 million as it uses city property.

Drawbacks to Franich Park include the fact that the site would require community outreach. Dutra said residents of the Franich Park neighborhood and parents of students at Ann Soldo Elementary would oppose the substation. City Councilmember Karina Cervantez Alejo said she did not want the city to use designated open space for the substation. In addition, she questioned the accuracy of the cost estimates provided in the staff report.