The Hanford Fire Department put its first new ladder truck into service in nearly 25 years this week.
It will not only help with firefighting at the 580-square-mile nuclear reservation near Richland, but will be available under mutual aid agreements to respond to major emergencies in the Tri-Cities area.
Hanford, which employs more than 9,000 people, has office buildings like the multiple-story 2704 Building, called the Smurf Building by workers for its bright blue paint job.
It also has large production facilities still standing from when the nuclear reservation produced plutonium for the nation’s nuclear weapons program through the Cold War.
Wildland brush fires are most common at Hanford and the ladder truck can be used to lift firefighters over a fire to attack it from above.
The new ladder truck is equipped with up-to-date technologies not available when the last ladder truck was purchased.
They include wireless communication systems, automatic tire chains, LED ladder lighting and a roll-over protection system for those riding in the truck.
It also has a separate area for firefighters to store protective clothing if they become contaminated with gasoline or other chemicals so firefighters don’t have to wear them on the ride back to the station.
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