For the past 24 years, the Galax Volunteer Fire Department’s Tower 11 has served well, with its 102-foot ladder lifting firefighters to reach the city’s tallest structures. It’s often used to battle blazes in the sawdust silos at Vaughan-Bassett, and recently was critical in containing a downtown apartment fire that could have been disastrous and deadly without the ability to reach the upper levels of businesses and apartments.
It can reach the roof of the hospital, if needed, and is often called into service to aid neighboring communities at fires that require a high-altitude attack. It can even extend horizontally, stretching out over the river or floodwaters to rescue those in danger.
Tower 11 is now out of service; its ladder unstable and unable to safely extend. Without a ladder of that height, Galax Fire Chief Mike Ayers says he worries about the department’s ability to save lives and property.