Aerial truck given a historic christening

It was a tight fit, but the Barrhead Fire Department’s (BFD) newest acquisition managed to squeeze into the fire hall with room to spare.

On Wednesday, Sept. 21, Barrhead town and county councillors and other officials helped the fire department push their new to them 2007 Pierce 100-foot platform truck into an empty BFD bay during its official christening — a Push In ceremony.

Mind you, John Whittaker, fire chief, said he already knew the 2007 Pierce 100-foot platform fire truck would fit into their new facility, as the department made sure the truck would fit into the hall before it was purchased and that it has already been in their possession for some time before the ceremony.

“It’s all about tradition,” he said, adding when fire departments received a piece of new equipment in olden times it was usually steam based and needed to be transported to a fire by cart and horse team.

Because of the necessity of having to store both animals and equipment, fire halls were designed a little differently. Like modern fire halls, Whittaker said, the equipment and carts were stored at the front of the building while the horses were stabled to the side or the back.

This wasn’t an issue when firefighters were called out to the fire as they would bring the horses to the front of the building and hook up their equipment. However, the reverse was more problematic and it usually involved the help of the community.

“When they came back they would park outside in front of the building, unhook and stable the horses and the firefighters with the help of people of the community, would push the units back into the fire hall. So basically, whenever a fire department gets new equipment, we mirror that,” he said. “Councillors, as representatives of the community, are here to show that the people support the work the fire department does.”

As for the aerial truck, Whittaker said, the department is pleased to have an aerial truck once again, being without one for about five years after retiring the previous one after 37-years of service.

“It is just an amazing piece of equipment that benefits not only our community, but those surrounding us,” he said, noting the only other aerial trucks in the region are Whitecourt, which will receive its ladder truck in six to nine months, and in Morinville.

Besides giving fire crews the ability to gain access to the taller structures in Barrhead such as Klondike place, the elevators and a number of apartment buildings in town, the aerial truck has a number of built-in capabilities, which will make firefighters more effective and keep them safer on the job. Attached to the 105-foot ladder is a basket with a 1,000-pound capacity.

“Basically it gives our firefighters a platform to work from. It has connections for power and hoses and it actually has its own nozzle that sprays 1,500 gallons per minute that we can operate remotely so that we don’t even have to have our firefighters in the basket,” Whittaker said. “One of the most exciting things about it is it gives us the ability to stream water and foam with pinpoint accuracy by being above a fire, instead of just trying to lob it from below.” That is one of the reasons Whittaker said town and county residents will see T6, as it has been officially designated, at fires where people would normally think a ladder truck isn’t necessary. “It is more than just a ladder. This truck just gives us so many more tools, from the ladders and equipment stored on it, to the water and the special 100 gallon encapsulating foam, meaning if we have a house or petroleum fire we can use it,” he said, adding T6 will be used for any structure fire. “My feeling is that if it was my house that was burning I would like a resource like this there.”