VIDEO: Falls City Fire Chief Matt Beer reacted to the sight of the city’s new ladder truck arriving on a 1,500-mile journey from Vermont with few words – “it was awesome.” He said the truck will enhance the volunteer fire department’s capabilities with its 95-foot ladder and tank of 300 pumpable gallons of water. The truck it replaces carries no water and has a 65-foot ladder. It is has not been certified since 2014 and has 88 repair citations. Firefighter Ralph Gilkerson, who spent 45 years on the department, says the old white ladder truck has served the area well. Firefighter Jon McQueen said the Potrillos restaurant fire was a tough one for the existing ladder truck because the bucket did not stabilize as it is designed and firefighters were at risk. He said firefighters carried hoses up the ladder to maximize its use and said aerials from nearby cities helped save a section of the downtown.