The city of Burlington (WI) is auctioning off its 1996 Pierce Lance tilt-cab tandem-axel ladder truck.

Provided condition: Overall good condition. No major mechanical defects noted. Inspection completed and passed June 2025. Both lower dash lights remain on, engine has minor oil leak, hydraulic cylinder for cab tilt leaks, holes from mounted equipment removal, decals, has rust, scratches, dings, stains, rips, wear typical for age, etc. Inspection encouraged. Sold As/Is.

Details: VIN: 4P1CT02S7TA000554. Miles: 16,047. Engine Hours: 1,935. Aerial Hours: 525. Transmission: Allison HD-4060PR Automatic. Engine: Detroit 60 12.7L – DDEC-470. Fuel Type: Diesel. GVWR: 73,000 pounds. Dimensions: 47-feet long x 11-feet 7-inches height. Ladder: 100 foot. Pump Capacity: 1,500-gallons-per-minute. Water Tank Size: 220 Gallons. Generator: Onan 7.5 HP. Accessories: Features: (4) Outriggers, Scene Lighting, Air Brakes. Seller has title.

Current bid: $7,575.

Bidding ends: Nov. 5, 2025.

Click here for more information and to bid.

The post 1996 100-Foot Ladder Truck Being Auctioned Off appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Once you have achieved a level of success with lighting, cutting, and troubleshooting your torch, it may be time to move on to some new challenges, such as making relief cuts, combining torch cuts with heavy rigging, and performing “hot work” in a confined space.

Discussed here will be using a torch to slow controlled release forces such as tension and compression; doing hot work in a confined space; cutting from a man basket; creating connections in steel with a torch for the purpose of attaching rigging, shackles, and wire rope; and limiting heat transfer and fire spread.

Material Behavior/Load Path

Knowledge of how a metal is going to react to our tools is key. Grinding metal (dust) is different than cutting (chips) it. Steel is ductile (can be deformed), and iron is very brittle (will shatter when struck). Steel can be torch cut (kindling temp = 1,800°F); aluminum just melts. Understanding these differences and using them to your advantage, identifying brittle and ductile behavior, will aid you in any rescue/forcible entry assignments. These considerations are essential for performing a patient- based rescue.

1 Assume the cable is highly loaded. Like cutting a compressed object, we want a slow failure. Ideally, you cut the cable one strand at a time. Use a small sized torch tip, 00 or even a 000. (Photos by author.)

2 Making a secure connection to a steel building component can be tricky. Using a torch, we can create an opening to accept a sling or shackle and make a positive connection to stabilize the steel or move it.

3 Cut out enough steel to insert the rigging. Because of the sharp edge left from a torch cut, attach a shackle to the beam first, then add the sling to it.

Size up the load path of the work piece. Understand that when you create an opening or remove a load-bearing member, the remaining structure must continue to carry the load. You may need to add shoring/cribbing before the cut. It is likely that any object you need to cut will be loaded in several directions at once, located in different areas of the object. For example, a horizontal beam supported on its ends will be under tension on the bottom edge of itself and compression as it sags downward on the top edge.

Not unlike cutting a fallen tree with a chainsaw, at some point the saw bar gets pinched from the compressive forces in the upper part of the tree trunk. Then, as you continue downward, the trunk splits open from the tension along the bottom portion, pulling the cut apart. In this example, vertically support the log on both sides of the cut to limit the compressive forces pinching the bar.

Have a structural engineer help with sizing up these types of situations. This input will greatly increase your chances of success and the safety of everyone.

Compression

During a fire or tornado/hurri- cane or other impacts on a building, structural components will be placed outside of their normal loading. Beams can be overloaded by shifting loads and become bent and twisted. Structural parts meant to be horizontal may be vertical. It may be very difficult to determine if the steel you need to remove is predominantly in compression, tension, or both. Significant crushing stresses can lead to instabilities such as buckling or racking over sideways.

Start by viewing a

Day 1 of the first annual FAMA Fire Apparatus Symposium featured topics on specification writing, modern electrical systems, compartmentation, foam systems, and vehicle lighting (warning and scene) with speakers representing the companies that provide these systems to the fire service. But, from the beginning, organizers stressed that they wanted the sessions to be interactive because, as David Durstine, former FAMA board member and an emcee for the event, said, the instructors are learning as much from the attendees through the interaction as the attendees are from the speakers.

The day began with Durstine and Jason Witmier, current FAMA vice president and incoming president for 2026, welcoming attendees to the symposium, explaining the format, and again encouraging interaction.

Durstine and Larry Daniels, vice president of sales for the REV Fire Group, took the stage to lead the discussion on apparatus specification. Both stressed the importance of specifying fire apparatus for your region and the mission of the rigs. Durstine related his experiences as a young firefighter on a an apparatus purchasing committee (APC) and how those experiences helped shape future committees at his fire department. For example, the first APC he was appointed to did not have any officers from the company. Future committees did. The number of people on the committee changed as well, with an important recommendation to ensure there is an odd number of people for tie breaking.

Daniels stressed defining the needs for the apparatus and engaging the end users who will be using the rigs for, in some cases, the next 25 years. Decisions made now will affect firefighters for years to come.

Daniels also said that the most important trip an APC can make is to the preconstruction meeting. That is where the rig is finalized, and that is where any other changes that need to be made to the spec—the guide the manufacturer will use—can be made before incurring costs for the changes.

Modern electrical systems were next for participants. A brief history of multiplex systems was followed by definitions for common terms and a discussion on how multiplex systems work. Communication is via the controller area network (CAN) and there are a variety of different languages that companies use to communicate via CANs. This is important because the OEM’s CAN might not always communicate with the chassis manufacturer’s CAN in the case of commercial vs. custom chassis. Important to remember is that if you spec a rig with a commercial chassis, you may have two multiplex systems: one that comes with the commercial chassis and one for the body that the OEM features.

Maintenance is one advantage of a multiplex system because these systems are easier to troubleshoot. Multiplexed systems log faults that maintenance personnel can go back to identify where a problem has occurred—especially if it is an intermittent problem.

Compartment management was the next session and representatives from a variety of equipment mounting companies and compartment design companies shared insights on what is available for fire departments to keep their equipment secure and also what NFPA 1900 requires for securing equipment. Proper distribution or equipment was also discussed as well as weight requirements by the NFPA at the time of delivery and the requirement to weight rigs every year.

Foam has gotten a lot of attention lately, so it’s natural that the Symposium offered a session that covered foam itself and the variety of systems available to deliver this foam. Not only was a background on foam and foam systems offered but also a section on troubleshooting these systems and recommendations for running them properly.

Day one wrapped up with a conversation about lighting on emergency vehicles. The control systems available for lighting have become very sophisticated and some important points include how flexi

The Sanger (TX) Fire Department provides fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services (EMS) response to a 130-square-mile fire and EMS district in North Denton County, Texas, with 25 full-time and five part-time firefighters. The department runs a pumper, a pumper-tanker, two brush trucks, a rescue, and three advanced life support (ALS) ambulances out of one station. With the city of Sanger experiencing burgeoning growth, especially in multistory structures, the department decided it needed to add an aerial device to its fleet.

“Sanger is in the process of going through major growth in the area,” says Chief David Pennington. “Sanger has added multistory hotels, apartment complexes, and taxpayers where there are commercial businesses on the ground floor and apartments on the upper stories. We needed an aerial device that would give us good reach and be able to hit a four- or five-story building.”

Pennington says the department researched the various types of aerials available and decided that a platform would serve its needs better than a straight stick. “We have several warehouses and distribution centers of over a million square feet each, with lots of mechanical equipment on their roofs,” he points out. “Having an aerial with a platform is very helpful in putting our firefighters safely on a roof and bringing someone back in a Stokes basket on the platform.”

He adds that the department also thought that a midmount aerial platform would work best in fitting into the city’s narrow downtown streets, would have a lower cab height compared with a rear-mount aerial platform, and would allow for a greater scrub area because of its five-section aerial instead of a rear-mount’s four-section aerial. Pennington notes that after taking all those factors into consideration, Sanger Fire went to Smeal Fire Apparatus for a 100-foot midmount aerial platform quint.

Brian Cudaback, apparatus sales director for Metro Fire Apparatus Specialists Inc., who sold the rig to Sanger, says the Smeal HD100 aerial platform quint is built on a Spartan Gladiator extended medium four-door (EMFD) cab a

The Lingohocken (PA) Fire Company announced recently that it had purchased a 2014 Pierce Arrow XT PUC rescue-pumper from the Falls Township Fire Company No. 1.

“Over the past few years, our apparatus committee has worked hard to formulate an apparatus replacement plan, which included replacing Rescue 35, a 1997 E-ONE Cyclone,” the department said in a Facebook post. “In exploring a multitude of options, the committee identified an advantageous opportunity to purchase the current Rescue 30 from Falls Township Fire Company No. 1.”

After considering the prices and build times of a brand new custom-built fire apparatus, the company felt that this purchase was the best financial and logistical decision while simultaneously meeting its operational needs, and most importantly, the needs of the community it protects.

This new apparatus will provide many improved safety features and additional capabilities. For instance, the current Rescue 35 is not equipped with a pump or tank water. This new apparatus will maintain all the rescue capabilities of the department’s current truck, while also giving it fire suppression capability with its 750-gallon tank and 1,500-gallon-per-minute pump.

Lingohocken will take delivery November 1st with the goal of an early 2026 in-service date following paint, equipment mounting, driver training, etc.

“We would like to thank the community and local government leaders for your continued support of our organization,” the department said.

Falls Township Fire Company No. 1 had this to say about the rescue-pumper going to Lingohocken:

“In late 2019, the Falls Township Fire Company No. 1 purchased this rescue-pumper from our neighbors at Edgely Fire Company (Ten House). The truck has spent the last five and a half years serving the residents, businesses, and visitors of Falls Township and surrounding municipalities.

“We are thankful for the partnership with Lingohocken Fire Company, and look forward to seeing this piece of apparatus continue to serve another community.”

The post Fire Company Eschews New, Purchases 2014 Rescue-Pumper appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipme