The Shawville-Clarendon Fire Department had a new fire truck delivered last Tuesday.
Equipped with a 75-foot-long ladder, the new edition to the fire department’s arsenal promises to make fire fighting more effective, according to Fire Chief Lee Laframboise.
The previous ladder truck had a 50-foot-long ladder.
“It’s not that the houses are that high, it’s that houses are never right on the street,” Laframboise said. “If you get a fully involved fire, you can’t go too close because your truck will get too hot, so 75 feet will be a real advantage. I know we’ve had some fully involved fires before where you can’t quite reach everything.”
The new ladder truck was built in 2002 and comes from the US state of Indiana. It had to be refitted to be compliant with Quebec safety standards.
Some of its newer features include a bigger and more comfortable cab that can carry up to six firefighters and a gauge that shows water flow, according to Laframboise.
The truck cost about $400,000 but the fire department became eligible for a $250,000 grant after taking over coverage for Portage-du-Fort last summer.
Laframboise doesn’t expect the old truck, which was built in 1989, to be able to be resold.
He said any useful part from the old ladder truck will be added to the new one.
Brett Thoms
Shawville March 12, 2023
