The Hot Springs Fire Department made a trip to City Hall Tuesday to show the city board of directors one of its newest purchases.
The board approved the $2.2 million purchase of a 107-foot tiller aerial ladder by Pierce Manufacturing Inc. and accompanying equipment in May 2021. The cost was included in the $2.95 million the board authorized the city to borrow for 2021 capital expenses.
U.S. Bancorp Government Leasing and Financing is carrying the five-year note at an interest rate of 1.13%. The state Constitution allows local governments to finance capital expenses for up to five years.
The city also bought a new swift-water rescue boat with excess funds as the purchase was $100,000 less than expected.
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"We appreciate the board buying the truck for us," Fire Chief Ed Davis said.
The advantage of the tiller is that the ladder can be controlled from the front or the rear and it is more maneuverable than other types of fire engines.
"A tilled aerial device differs from most of its cousins in the fact that it has two drivers, one over the rear wheels and one over the front wheels," Davis told the Civil Service Commission in October.
"It can go places some of the pumpers have trouble going because it articulates at its midpoint right behind the cab. You can deploy it quicker and tear it down and move it quicker," he said.
The new truck will replace the 105-foot Simon-Duplex as the department's front-line aerial device. Davis told the Civil Service Commission the 1996 model has become a department favorite and will be moved to reserve status when the new truck is put in service later this year.
"The popularity of the old Truck 5 is really high," he said. "There's a lot of sentimentality. It's such a great truck. The Simon-Duplex is the best truck we've ever had."
The new truck has been named Truck 5 and is ready to protect Hot Springs from emergencies.
The Hot Springs Fire Department’s new swift-water rescue boat sits in front of Hot Springs Convention Center across from City Hall on Tuesday. - Photo by Lance Brownfield of The Sentinel-Record