The Anderson Fire Department soon will have a new ladder truck that can reach the city's tallest buildings.
The City Council agreed to buy a rig with a 105-foot ladder at its meeting earlier this week.
Randy Bratcher, the city's interim fire chief, said his department currently has an engine with a 70-foot ladder. That ladder can't reach the top floors of AnMed Health Medical Center, the Calhoun Historic Lofts and the Wilmary Apartments, which are each eight stories tall.
The new ladder truck, which should be in service within three to six months, will be "good for us and it's good for the city," Bratcher said Wednesday.
Bratcher said the ladder truck will help in his department's ongoing effort to improve the city's fire rating, which would lead to lower insurance premiums for businesses in Anderson.
Besides the ladder truck, the city also will be buying a new fire engine, 10 air cylinders, 20 sets of protective gear for firefighters and other equipment from Spartan Fire and Emergency Apparatus Inc. The overall cost of the purchase is $1.63 million, an amount equaling more than half of the Fire Department's annual budget.