Chubbuck Fire introduces brand new ladder truck

CHUBBUCK – The Chubbuck Fire Department has officially unveiled its newest piece of equipment.

The city of Chubbuck held a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday evening at City Hall to unveil its new ladder truck, a Pierce Velocity Heavy-Duty Aerial Tower. Now that the fire department is ready to start using the new truck, it will be able to rescue people at greater heights with greater ease and accessibility.

“It’s been a need for a long, long time, and it’s good to see this come to fruition. We have a fire department that’s totally dedicated, and they’re gonna do what they need to do with what they have, but … we’ve been able to get them some updated equipment, and this is the pinnacle of that,” Mayor Kevin England told EastIdahoNews.com.

The new ladder truck, Truck 12, is replacing the department’s old ladder truck, Truck 304. From 1982, Truck 304 had a 75-foot ladder but no basket on the end for rescues. If someone were to use the fire truck to escape a burning structure, they would have to climb onto the end of the ladder and crawl down.

In total, Truck 12 cost $1.6 million to acquire, with $500,000 of that total donated by Idaho Central Credit Union. Laura Smith, vice president of Community Development for ICCU, told EastIdahoNews.com that the credit union was “happy to help” the fire department purchase the new engine.

“The truck is needed to serve the growing community, and we are honored to support such a worthy cause in our hometown. Our headquarters are in Chubbuck, and we also have many team members and members who live in this community,” Smith said.

Truck 12 offers the Chubbuck Fire Department not only a longer ladder, which can extend to 100 feet, but also a basket for someone to crawl into and ride down to the ground in.

“For some of the scenarios … where we have two stories and elderly people, it’d be easier for a rescue with the basket than trying to get them on a (ladder),” explained Chas Clark, a firefighter and driver for the Chubbuck Fire Department.

The new engine, despite being bigger than Truck 304, also offers better maneuverability, thanks to its rear-steering.

“It navigates the city better than the older truck,” said Chubbuck Fire Chief Merlin Miller. “Just everything about it is better than the 45-year-old truck.

England pointed out that Chubbuck is a growing community and it has more muti-story buildings than it used to, with more on the way.

“It’s good to know that when and if (a fire) happens, we’ve got the ability to take care of (it), wherever it is,” England said.