Alexis—Odessa (DE) Fire Company pumper. Spartan Gladiator ELFD cab and chassis; Cummins X12 500-hp engine; Waterous CXVC20 1,500-gpm pump; ProPoly 750-gallon polypropylene water tank; Will-Burt Night Scan NS2.3-1344-4-FRC Spectra Max light tower; Smart Power 10-kW generator. Dealer: Dirk Jordan, Alexis Fire Equipment, Alexis, IL.

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Ashland Fire Department is seeking a funding response for the department’s 23-year-old aerial ladder truck, WOWT.com reported.

During 35-mph winds the ladder is very unstable, a fire official said. The new ladder trucks rate around 50-mph, the report said.

If you get a gust of wind (the 23-year-old ladder truck) is going to sway, according to the report. One Ashland firefighter said climbing the ladder adds to the anxiety of fighting a fire, the report said.

The fire official said the older truck’s water pump doesn’t pass certification inspection, and oil and water leak on the rig making rebuilding the 1999 aerial a waste of taxpayer money, the report said. 

The estimated cost of a new aerial ladder rig is $1.7 million, the report said.

A new fire truck to handle narrow roads and rough terrain in some of the newly annexed parts of Ridgeland (MS) has been approved to bid, OnlineMadison.com reported.

A fire official said the $275,000 truck is known as a Wildland Extreme Type 6 Quick Attack truck. The vehicle is a lifted four-wheel truck that will feature toolboxes and a water pump on the back, the report said. The pump will be able to spray water while the truck is moving. It will also hold emergency medical and extraction equipment for responding to wrecks, according to the report.

The truck is needed to navigate narrow roads, rough terrain and steep hills found in the newly annexed area of the city west of I-55 along west County Line Road. It will be necessary to reach some of the more isolated houses or brush fires in that area, the report said.

The annexation includes property surrounded by Greens Crossing Road, North Livingston Road, the Natchez Trace Parkway, and west County Line. 

The new truck will be housed at Station 4 on the Highland Colony Parkway. The vehicle will replace another truck that is aging out of the fleet, the report said.

If a fire station is in need of a nearly 3-ton, 35-foot fire truck designed to carry heavy rescue equipment, there is an opportunity to bid for one owned by the St. George (LA) Fire Protection District, TheAdvocate.com reported. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, a bidder only needed to offer more than $11,300 to take the lead in the auction for the 2013 Ferrara Igniter Heavy Rescue Fire Truck, which ends Sunday morning, the report said. 

The St. George Fire Department is selling the truck because it’s been deemed a surplus, according to the report. 

St. George bought the truck 10 years ago for just under $500,000 and is currently valued at $150,000, the report said. It’s only been operated by about 25 firefighters because of its specialized purpose for heavy rescues. 

The truck doesn’t transport water to the scene of a fire like a normal fire truck, instead it’s designed to carry a vast array of heavy equipment like the jaws of life, generators and ladders, the report said.

The fire truck has an aluminum cab with four travel seats, a command desk with additional seats and mounts for computers and radios. The truck also includes a generator and an extendable light tower. For low oxygen settings, a breathing air storage system is included in the truck, the report said.