Lincoln Fire & Rescue unveils new ladder fire truck to help with rescues

LINCOLN, Neb (Nebraska) — Lincoln Fire & Rescue showed off its new ladder truck Thursday morning, which it says will benefit crews in several ways.

Officials said the new truck cost about $1 million, which came from federal COVID-19 relief funds.

The truck is one of four in Lincoln that has a ladder built into the top to help firefighters climb to the top.

Chief David Engler said adding the truck to LFR’s fleet will provide the tools firefighters need to not only put out fires, but also get into taller buildings and perform rescues.

“Scale is certainly important for reaching high spaces and pouring water on buildings from above,” he said. “But one of the biggest features is all the equipment that is carried on them that is very specialized that we couldn’t put on every piece of equipment in the whole city.”

Engler said LFR has replaced some older equipment over the past year and has built a budget to regularly upgrade the fleet before it needs to be replaced.

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said funding these upgrades is part of his priority to promote public safety.

“When I was on city council, I got to see the fleet health spreadsheet,” he said. “And the talking point was that most of the fleet was big enough to vote or drink, and we don’t want that. … We want these people to have what they need to keep them safe at work and have a quick response.

Engler said there will be another new truck arriving later this summer.

Categories: Lancaster, News Tags: cares act fund, Chief David Engler, engine replacements, fire truck, LFR, lincoln, Lincoln Fire & Rescue, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, new fire truck, new ladder truck, upgraded equipment

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