Local & State Headlines

AFD gets new $500k truck

• Among the 2007 SPLOST purchases made by the Albany Fire Department are two pumper trucks

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY — Albany firefighters have begun training on a new aerial truck they say will increase their ability to fight large-scale industrial and residential fires, fire officials said.

The truck, which sports a 110-foot-long fully mobile ladder, will replace a nearly 30- year-old model that the department has been using as a reserve, AFD Chief James Carswell said.

“We currently have two active aerial trucks and one on reserve as a backup,” Carswell said. “That reserve truck, which I think is a ’70s model Mack truck, will be auctioned off.”

The new truck, which was purchased using more than $500,000 of Special-Purpose Local-Optioon Sales Tax V funds, will be outfitted with equipment, bumping the total price to somewhere around $700,000, Carswell said.

“The main purpose of this truck is really to help fight commercial fires,” Carswell said. “Having the capabilities that this truck offers us will not only continue to lower insurance rates for people living in Albany, but will hopefully bring peace of mind to business owners in the area.”

Firefighters underwent training on the truck Wednesday, learning how it functions, Carswell said.

According to fire officials, the fully encased hose that extends the length of the truck’s ladder can dump 1,000 gallons of water per minute on a fire, making it capable of supressing flames quickly.

The ladder can also spin 360 degrees and can pivot to angles of up to 90 degrees, Carswell said.

In 2007, the fire department used SPLOST funds to buy two new pumper trucks for just around $186,000 and is currently using funds to clear land for a training center, Carswell said.

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