St. Charles Fire Department excited about new truck

The St. Charles Fire Department won't take possession of its new $1.3 million truck for another year, but the excitement is already building.

The city council approved the purchase last month. It will become the department's first new 100-foot aerial ladder truck since 2010. And fire officials plan on using it for 25 years.

"Most people in our department will probably only work on two of these vehicles in their career," Fire Chief Scott Swanson said. "The people who are going to be assigned to this are especially excited because this could be the final vehicle they work on."

St. Charles sends its two 100-foot aerial ladder trucks on about 2,000 calls a year, according to Swanson. Because of the constant usage, the front-line truck is down for repairs about three months a year. Swanson estimates.

The department's backup 100-foot aerial ladder truck is nearly 25 years old. When the new truck arrives, the public works department will sell the 1997 truck.

"They're very large and complicated vehicles," Swanson said. "Even though public works has a great maintenance program, the wear and tear just builds up."

Budget concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic delayed a planned purchase in May, but Swanson said he needed to close the deal by February to get a 3.2% discount. The city received an additional $86,000 in discounts.

Swanson formed an apparatus committee to ensure the department ordered exactly what it needed, and even toured departments to look at their newer vehicles. The department will customize everything from the motor to where the lights are mounted.

"What looks good on paper, we want to make sure it's going to work in practice," Swanson said.

There's a need for the 100-foot ladder in St. Charles because of the number of buildings higher than three stories tall. For buildings such as the Hotel Baker and Carroll Towers, the ladder is the only way firefighters can reach the upper levels in the case of a major fire.

Swanson said the department will take possession of the new truck by March of 2022. After six weeks to mount equipment and two months of training, it'll be put in service and the current front-line line truck will transfer to the reserve role.

"We need to make sure every single member of the department is qualified in the operation of the vehicle," Swanson said.