New dual-purpose fire apparatus arrives in Meridian

Published 3:15 pm Monday, October 2, 2017

By Whitney Downard wdownard@themeridianstar.com

Whitney Downard / The Meridian StarMeridian Firefighters clean the most recent addition to the Meridian Fire Department's fleet: a new, customized fire apparatus quint, that serves a dual purpose as ladder truck and pumper.

Meridian residents may notice a new addition to the Meridian Fire Department in the upcoming weeks.

Over the weekend, the custom, Pierce-model fire apparatus was completed in Appleton, Wisconsin and delivered to Meridian Fire Department’s Station No. 1.

Fire Chief Anthony Clayton said the new apparatus would serve a dual purpose for the department.

“It’s a pump and ladder in one; it’s state of the art,” Clayton said. “It saves the city some money.”

Clayton and Fire Marshall Jason Collier said that without the new addition, they would need to purchase two separate trucks, one to pump and one with a ladder, which could cost around $2 million. The new truck cost $1.2 million.

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“It’s built to last 20 years,” Collier said. “It’s heavy duty, not like a car. It’s built to work.”

With the purchase, the Meridian Fire Department can retire a 25-year-old fire truck.

“The stress on them after 25 years…,” Clayton said.

“It just starts to get undependable,” Collier said, completing the thought. “We had trouble obtaining parts for it.”

Firefighters scrubbed the truck around 1:30 p.m. Monday, preparing for a public unveiling at 3 p.m. They seemed happy about the new truck, a step up from their previous trucks.

The ladder on the new truck extends up to 107 feet up and 100 feet out. The tank holds 500 gallons and can pump 1,500 gallons per minute.

The model, which Clayton said he first saw three years ago at a chief’s conference, was customized for the Meridian department’s needs.

Clayton, who will celebrate a 35-year anniversary in the fire service this weekend, mentioned the many changes he’d seen over the years.

“The ladder is made out of steel, versus aluminum,” Clayton said. “You’d think the aluminum would be lighter, but because of the components involved, the aluminum has to be thicker so the steel is lighter.”

This will be the department’s third quint, or dual purpose ladder-and-pump truck.

“We have two already, but none of this quality,” Clayton said.

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