One of the first 107-foot Ascendant aerial ladder quints in the country has been delivered to the Louisburg (KS) Fire Department by Pierce Manufacturing Inc.

Paul Richards, chief of the Louisburg Fire Department, says, “This is the first aerial our department has ever had. We were considering buying a 75-foot quint but were able to save a lot of money by going with this demo 107-footer. Plus we get a lot more reach and aerial height than with a 75-footer.”

1 The Louisburg (KS) Fire Department 107-foot aerial ladder quint, built by Pierce Manufacturing, Inc., is powered by a 450-hp Cummins ISL 9 diesel engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission. [Photos courtesy of the Louisburg (KS) Fire Department unless otherwise noted.]

Response Area

Richards notes that while the Louisburg fire protection area doesn’t have a lot of high-rises, it has other issues that made the department consider the longer aerial. “We have a number of setback issues in our town with several strip malls and also one of our higher-end subdivisions that’s built around a lake,” he says. “We also have a large downtown business district with shared buildings running a block long that we will have to get up and over as well as a lot of homes with 6:12 and 8:12 pitch roofs and long setbacks. We can’t get on those roofs with ground ladders, and the 107-footer will allow us to get on them and reach those other setbacks.”

2 The 107-foot aerial ladder quint has a Waterous CSU 1,500-gpm pump, a 500-gallon water tank, and 115 feet of ground ladders.

The Louisburg Fire Department covers a four-square-mile city and contracts to cover 112 square miles of Miami County with a paid chief, a paid part-time firefighter-inspector, and 22 volunteer firefighters out of one station that shares both city and county fire apparatus. The city of Louisburg has hydrants; some areas of the county have hydrant water sources.

The Quint

The Louisburg Ascendant is a 107-foot aerial ladder quint on a single rear axle built on an Enforcer chassis and powered by a 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins ISL 9 diesel engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission. The quint has a Waterous 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump, a 500-gallon water tank, 115 feet of ground ladders, and 198 cubic feet of compartment space and carries 800 feet of five-inch large diameter hose (LDH), although the hosebed can handle up to 1,000 feet of LDH. The 107-foot aerial ladder quint carries a 1,500-gpm Akron Brass monitor at the ladder’s tip, has a 750-pound dry tip load, and has a 500-pound wet tip load.

Tim Smits, national sales manager for Pierce, says the 107-footer is two feet shorter overall than a tandem-axle 100-foot aerial ladder and only 1½ feet longer than a 75-foot aerial ladder on a single axle. “The ladder is all 100,000-pounds-per-square-inch (psi) steel,” Smits says, “has a vertical reach of 107 feet, a horizontal reach of 100 feet, and an 18-foot stabilizer spread set forward of the rear wheels tha

By Alan M. Petrillo

No matter what fire department you walk into in the United States, you’ll find a preference for one type of aerial device over another-straight ladder over platform or vice versa.

While there are advantages and disadvantages to both ladders and platforms, firefighters typically choose to use the type of aerial vehicle that matches up best with their department’s circumstances, but also occasionally they choose a type of aerial based on department history with one type or another.

Decision Process

Chris Wade, director of aerial products at E-ONE, says E-ONE doesn’t recommend one type of aerial over another for a fire department but tries to find the truck that works well for it. “We ask them what they want their truck to do for them,” Wade says. “We also want to know if there are any predefined limits on the truck, like with overall length or height.”

Jason Witmier, product manager of aerials at KME, says the decision of ladder vs. platform usually comes down to the customer’s preference and the cost of the vehicle. “For many fire departments, if they can afford it and their area will support its size, they like the platform, especially because it gives them a better surface to work from for aerial operations like venting the roof and setting firefighters down on a roof,” he says. “A platform gives more security for those types of operations.”

1 E-ONE built this 100-foot rear-mount platform for the Sarasota (FL) Fire Department. (Photo courtesy of E-ONE.)

Tim Smits, national sales manager for Pierce Manufacturing Inc., says that ladders are trending to be more popular right now than platforms. “One year ladders will skyrocket, and the next year it might be the complete opposite with platforms rising,” Smits observes. “Also, right now, tractor-drawn aerials (TDAs) are on a big rise, and we categorize them with ladders. But every year is different.”

Paul Christiansen, aerial sales manager for Ferrara Fire Apparatus, says Ferrara always goes with what fits the customer’s needs. “Some fire departments have always worked off of either a straight stick or a platform,” Christiansen points out, “and they feel uncomfortable with the other type of aerial.” He notes that platforms typically are thought of as both rescue and fire suppression vehicles, with stable platforms at the end of the ladders and typically large waterways. “But, ladders also have a rope rescue pulley option that’s controlled from the turntable,” he points out, “so you’re able to have a rescue function with a straight stick too. However, with a platform, you will get a higher water flow-up to 2,000 gallons per minute (gpm) from a rear-mount platform-while a straight stick will be in the 1,250- to 1,500-gpm range.”

2 KME built this 79-foot AerialCat ladder quint for the William Cameron Fire Co. in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo courtesy of KME.)

Smits notes that fire departments should look at the building where the aerial will be housed. “They should check the length and height of the bay, the door height, and the floor structure to be sure

By Alan M. Petrillo

No matter what fire department you walk into in the United States, you’ll find a preference for one type of aerial device over another-straight ladder over platform or vice versa.

While there are advantages and disadvantages to both ladders and platforms, firefighters typically choose to use the type of aerial vehicle that matches up best with their department’s circumstances, but also occasionally they choose a type of aerial based on department history with one type or another.

Decision Process

Chris Wade, director of aerial products at E-ONE, says E-ONE doesn’t recommend one type of aerial over another for a fire department but tries to find the truck that works well for it. “We ask them what they want their truck to do for them,” Wade says. “We also want to know if there are any predefined limits on the truck, like with overall length or height.”

Jason Witmier, product manager of aerials at KME, says the decision of ladder vs. platform usually comes down to the customer’s preference and the cost of the vehicle. “For many fire departments, if they can afford it and their area will support its size, they like the platform, especially because it gives them a better surface to work from for aerial operations like venting the roof and setting firefighters down on a roof,” he says. “A platform gives more security for those types of operations.”

1 E-ONE built this 100-foot rear-mount platform for the Sarasota (FL) Fire Department. (Photo courtesy of E-ONE.)

Tim Smits, national sales manager for Pierce Manufacturing Inc., says that ladders are trending to be more popular right now than platforms. “One year ladders will skyrocket, and the next year it might be the complete opposite with platforms rising,” Smits observes. “Also, right now, tractor-drawn aerials (TDAs) are on a big rise, and we categorize them with ladders. But every year is different.”

Paul Christiansen, aerial sales manager for Ferrara Fire Apparatus, says Ferrara always goes with what fits the customer’s needs. “Some fire departments have always worked off of either a straight stick or a platform,” Christiansen points out, “and they feel uncomfortable with the other type of aerial.” He notes that platforms typically are thought of as both rescue and fire suppression vehicles, with stable platforms at the end of the ladders and typically large waterways. “But, ladders also have a rope rescue pulley option that’s controlled from the turntable,” he points out, “so you’re able to have a rescue function with a straight stick too. However, with a platform, you will get a higher water flow-up to 2,000 gallons per minute (gpm) from a rear-mount platform-while a straight stick will be in the 1,250- to 1,500-gpm range.”

2 KME built this 79-foot AerialCat ladder quint for the William Cameron Fire Co. in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo courtesy of KME.)

Smits notes that fire departments should look at the building where the aerial will be housed. “They should check the length and height of the bay, the door height, and the floor structure to be sure

By Alan M. Petrillo

No matter what fire department you walk into in the United States, you’ll find a preference for one type of aerial device over another-straight ladder over platform or vice versa.

While there are advantages and disadvantages to both ladders and platforms, firefighters typically choose to use the type of aerial vehicle that matches up best with their department’s circumstances, but also occasionally they choose a type of aerial based on department history with one type or another.

Decision Process

Chris Wade, director of aerial products at E-ONE, says E-ONE doesn’t recommend one type of aerial over another for a fire department but tries to find the truck that works well for it. “We ask them what they want their truck to do for them,” Wade says. “We also want to know if there are any predefined limits on the truck, like with overall length or height.”

Jason Witmier, product manager of aerials at KME, says the decision of ladder vs. platform usually comes down to the customer’s preference and the cost of the vehicle. “For many fire departments, if they can afford it and their area will support its size, they like the platform, especially because it gives them a better surface to work from for aerial operations like venting the roof and setting firefighters down on a roof,” he says. “A platform gives more security for those types of operations.”

1 E-ONE built this 100-foot rear-mount platform for the Sarasota (FL) Fire Department. (Photo courtesy of E-ONE.)

Tim Smits, national sales manager for Pierce Manufacturing Inc., says that ladders are trending to be more popular right now than platforms. “One year ladders will skyrocket, and the next year it might be the complete opposite with platforms rising,” Smits observes. “Also, right now, tractor-drawn aerials (TDAs) are on a big rise, and we categorize them with ladders. But every year is different.”

Paul Christiansen, aerial sales manager for Ferrara Fire Apparatus, says Ferrara always goes with what fits the customer’s needs. “Some fire departments have always worked off of either a straight stick or a platform,” Christiansen points out, “and they feel uncomfortable with the other type of aerial.” He notes that platforms typically are thought of as both rescue and fire suppression vehicles, with stable platforms at the end of the ladders and typically large waterways. “But, ladders also have a rope rescue pulley option that’s controlled from the turntable,” he points out, “so you’re able to have a rescue function with a straight stick too. However, with a platform, you will get a higher water flow-up to 2,000 gallons per minute (gpm) from a rear-mount platform-while a straight stick will be in the 1,250- to 1,500-gpm range.”

2 KME built this 79-foot AerialCat ladder quint for the William Cameron Fire Co. in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo courtesy of KME.)

Smits notes that fire departments should look at the building where the aerial will be housed. “They should check the length and height of the bay, the door height, and the floor structure to be sure