This new 78-foot ladder truck is on display at St. Pete Beach City Hall Feb. 26.
ST. PETE BEACH – The city of St. Pete Beach’s new fire truck has all the bells and whistles.
The city acquired the $700,000 Emergency One 78-foot ladder truck the second week of January and put it into service the first week of February.
Ninety-five percent of the acquisition costs was from a federal government grant. The city picked up 5 percent of the costs.
“It is tax money and we are all paying for it, but [city residents] didn’t have to pay for the whole thing themselves,” St. Pete Beach Fire Chief Dan Graves said.
The new vehicle replaced a 1989 ladder truck that had some major mechanical malfunctions. The truck had a blown motor and some other parts that needed to be replaced.
“The cost of maintenance and repair on that was about $88,000, and the truck was only worth about $30,000,” Graves said. “It just didn’t seem worth putting the money into it.”
The new truck is expected to be an asset for 20 years. It is capable of responding to advanced life-support calls and is set up to carry and secure medical gear and medications that firefighters use.
The truck gives the department the ability to reach higher levels on 62 buildings that are considered high rises – four stories or higher.
The new truck will run out of Station 23 at 730l Gulf Blvd.
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