IDPS Director Troy Thomas said the ladder track, complete with a 101-foot aerial ladder, is being constructed at the Rosenbauer Minnesota plant, based in Wyoming, Minn. After the six-person cab and chassis are completed, and wiring is finished, the truck will be shipped off to Rosenbauer’s aerial plant in Fremont, Neb., for installation of the ladder.  

“Then our crew will go out in mid-March to do an aerial, cab and chassis inspection,” said Thomas. Fleet Manager Todd Verduin, Firefighter Joe Flanders and Sgt. Kevin Heinlein will join Thomas on that trip.

After the inspection, the partially completed truck will return to Minnesota where the box will be built, painted and mounted on the chassis.

Fire Chief Mike Ciraulo says they are about 30 percent past the design and engineering mark, which is a big step. He also says they have cut $2 million worth of more “extravagant” features off of the design, and have returned to the original look.  

“We had added a lot,” said Ciraulo concerning the budget cut. “There was a lot of excitement, and a lot of our folks within the fire department and within the city said if we are going to build a fire station, we probably should heat the concrete.” That would have helped firefighters with the task of shoveling during the winter months. “That’s just one example,” Ciraulo says. And while it made a lot of sense, it added a great deal of costs.” 

The program hasn't been funded for at least three years and many counties are operating with aging trucks — a situation that could lead to decreased fire defenses and an escalation of fire ratings.

 

Rep. Larry Byrd, R-Petal, has introduced two bills to restore the program.   

Byrd said the problem of aging fire trucks is something experienced by counties throughout the state, yet he's had trouble getting his bills through the Legislature.

"From what we have seen, the new building has so many design flaws, it’s ridiculous," said Mike Chickillo, a driver-engineer and union president of the Coral Gables Professional Firefighters Association, Local 1210. “We're afraid we will be stuck in a completely inadequate building that has no room for growth in a growing city."  

Gables police echo the firefighters’ worries about lack of space for offices, lockers and parking in the new Public Safety Building that will be located at the southwest corner of Salzedo Street and Alcazar Avenue.