Titusville’s sole aerial fire truck has been brought back into service, following a re-evaluation by an independent inspection company.
City Manager Larry Manross made the announcement at Monday’s meeting of Titusville City Council. According to Manross, Aerial Testing Company (ATC), which is based out of Blue Ball, Pennsylvania, performed the inspection on March 5 and cleared the truck for use.
Aerial trucks, also referred to as ladder trucks, are equipped with ladders which are used to lift firefighters up to 100 feet in the air. They are used for a variety of roles including rescue from buildings too tall for ground ladders, according to Meadville Fire Department Chief Evan Hasko. Titusville utilizes a 1969 American LaFrance truck, purchased around 2003 from a Dover, New Jersey fire department.
The truck was decommissioned in late September due to an inspection by FIRE-FLY Fire Equipment Sales Inc. determining that the truck was in need of extensive repairs and would have cost upwards of $400,000 to restore to working order.