Apparatus

Showcase: Huntsville, N.C. Reaches New Heights With Ladder 1

Sept. 27, 2013

The Huntersville Fire Department has taken delivery of a 2013 Smeal 105-foot rear-mount heavy duty aerial ladder.

It was placed in service on Monday (August 12) after spending a few days at the South Atlantic FIRE RESCUE Expo (SAFRE) in Raleigh, N.C. where thousands of firefighters from across the Carolinas and surrounding states were able to get a hands-on tour of the new truck.

Ladder 1 is a welcome addition to the Department and will provide 30 feet more reach than the current 75-foot Ladder. This new addition will assist in improving the department's ISO rating and along with a number of other improvements will work to reduce Huntersville resident insurance premiums.

Other features include back-up and right side camera systems, complete LED lighting system for both the emergency warning lights and scene lighting, an electrically positioned waterway with an electric monitor on the ladder with a 2.5-inch aerial tip discharge.

Other features include: Back-up and right side camera systems, complete LED lighting system (Emergency lighting and flood lighting). Electric positioned waterway with and an electrically controlled Monitor on ladder with a 2 1/2" aerial tip discharge

Chief Larry Irvin strategically plans apparatus placement to provide excellent response times and even more comprehensive incident mitigation throughout the Huntersville Fire district.

Ladder 1 has incorporated the newly adopted ‘colors’ of the Department - Black over Red (black top, red body). In recent past the fire departments of Gilead, Huntersville and Mallard Creek consolidated to create one department, however the apparatus had three different color schemes.

The members of the department decided that the new colors for all apparatus going forward will be black over red. The firefighters of the department really like the look and the black on the apparatus signifies 'mourning' allowing the department to remember fallen fire service brothers and carry on the tradition of always remembering.