New apartment buildings and an increasing number of large commercial buildings in Deer Park have prompted Spokane County Fire District 4 to purchase an aerial platform truck that will allow them to direct streams of water onto a fire from dozens of feet in the air.
The district hasn’t owned a ladder truck of any kind before, but the purchase was necessary to maintain the district’s fire insurance rating, said Fire Chief Randy Johnson. “It’s a good addition to the capacity of the district,” he said.
The 1995 Simon Duplex truck was purchased from the Yakima Fire Department for $50,000. It has a platform on the end of a 102-foot ladder where firefighters can stand and direct water on a fire below. Captain Megan Hill joked that it was a “one owner, low miles” purchase. Despite its age, it has just under 40,000 miles on it and still has plenty of life, Hill said.