Turley Publications Photo by Ruth M. Lyon

Deputy Fire Chief Brad Gannon operating the ladder. He is in constant contact with personnel at the top of the ladder.

An aerial view of the new police station, due for grand opening in July.

Fire Chief Gannon demonstrates new ladder truck

By Ruth M. Lyon

Turley Publications Reporter

NORTH BROOKFIELD - Deputy Fire Chief Brad Gannon, sharing a Saturday morning coffee-break with members of his crew, gestured toward the department’s newest acquisition. “It’s an awesome piece of equipment; let us show you what it can do.”

For the next thirty minutes, he and his fellow firemen demonstrated the wonders of the town’s $1 million purchase – the pride and joy of the fire department and, Gannon says, a valuable asset to the community for years to come. Appropriately enough, it arrived just before Thanksgiving of 2009.

“There’s something called an ISO rating,” he explained. Simply put, it rates the town’s fire protection according to standards established by the office, the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule. These standards apply to such items as alarm capabilities, engine companies/equipment, training, and water supply. The resulting ratings are the basis upon which the town’s insurance is determined. To obtain an adequate rating, the town’s firefighting equipment must meet certain standards established by ISO.

The town has an excellent alarm system; its training facility is state of the art. The subject of the water supply was addressed last week with the vote to restructure Horse Pond Dam; additionally, there are other ponds and sources of water in outlying districts. But, prior to the purchase of this truck, the town’s aerial ladder had flunked the test. It was old and unsafe. The ISO rating was not going to be good.

Gannon, as he maneuvered the 105-foot ladder up, up and away, but also down and around and side to side, explained the importance of the ladder. “People think of using the ladder on high buildings, and of course that’s important. But there’s so much more. In an old town with narrow street and houses close to one another, the ladder can reach places where the truck won’t fit. And with this truck, you can extend the ladder all of the way without causing the truck’s instability. There’s built in support for that. The bucket is equipped with a speaker system; when I’m up here, I’m in constant communications with the driver and the bucket operator. The microphone is built in; I don’t have to touch it.” He went on to demonstrate the ease with which a person could be removed from a building through a window, the built-in safeguards which prevented the bucket from going where it might not fit, weight-bearing capabilities and the pumping capacities. “There’s a 1500 gallon-per-minute pump, with its own generator.”

Where will this substantial piece of equipment fit? As Gannon demonstrated the manner in which the huge ladder compactly folded itself into place on the truck, he discussed its housing. “That’s one subject we discussed at the vary beginning. Our fire house became obsolete when the last fire horse died; the building was built for horse-drawn vehicles. But it will hold most of our equipment. Right next door, though, is the highway department barn. The truck fits in a 37-foot bay. Gary Jean (Highway Supt.) has been great. He agreed to allow us to put the new truck in the highway barn; we put the rescue squad ambulance in our barn.”

All members of the department have been trained, and the truck has been used for mutual aid to other towns, Gannon said proudly.

As he and his crew gathered around the truck, he reminded townspeople and others who would like to see or know more about the department, its equipment and the training center that they’re always happy to show what they have, what they do, and what tax dollars are paying for.