Albion Fire District is awaiting the arrival of its new 100-foot ladder truck, equipped with a pre-piped waterway, which Chief Richard Andrews said will be "more versatile for the setup we have in town."
It was purchased last year for $870,000, and the tentative delivery date is Oct. 12.
Andrews noted the truck was purchased without increasing taxes and said it will spare the district the costly repairs of the old truck.
The yearly payment on a 12-year lease is $74,000, Andrews said.
This is a decrease of about $35,000 annually from payments on the earlier problematic ladder truck, Andrews said. The station prepaid $150,000 for the truck using a truck fund, said Mike Napolitano, vice chairman. The truck was bought from Greenwood Emergency Vehicles in North Attleboro, Mass.
Andrews said repairs for the old ladder truck were "getting quite high," aside from the normal maintenance fees at the end of the year. The fire truck company where the prior vehicle was purchased, American Lafrance, had gone out of business, making it difficult to purchase parts.
Napolitano said there were many issues with the old truck, including corrosion and vibrating when the vehicle reached a certain speed on the highway.
He explained Albion anticipates at least 20 years out of the new truck, and each of the trucks currently housed at the station have been paid off.