They weren’t delivered by Santa, but Franklin Firefighters are excited about two shiny new gifts they’ve recently received – Ladder 5 and Ladder 8.
Built by Sutphen Corporation in Amlin, Ohio, Ladder 5 replaces a 1998 ladder truck at Station 5 on Noah Drive. Ladder 8 was purchased for Station 8, which is currently under construction in the Westhaven community and expected to open this spring.
The trucks were showcased during a special edition of Franklin Heat, a 30-minute original Franklin Fire Department program that features Engineer Wylie Jones and Firefighter Jeff Boggs. Produced by Franklin TV, the episode follows Jones and Boggs as they travel to Ohio to see how Sutphen builds their fire trucks, something this family-owned business has been doing since 1890. They also learn about the inspection process that must be completed before the trucks are ready to roll and check out some exciting new features of the apparatus. To watch now click HERE.
One such feature is a video camera mounted atop each trucks’ 75-foot ladder. “It’s a brand new concept for us and as far as I know it’s a brand new concept for the fire service all together,” said Franklin Fire Deputy Chief Todd Horton. “When we extend our ladder up 75 feet in the air, we can use that camera to get an overall situational awareness of what’s taking place on the incident scene,” he explained. “It also allows us to be able to direct the water nozzle from the ground, without having to put a firefighter on the end of the ladder.”
Horton said a traditional fire service wetdown (dedication) ceremony for the new ladder trucks will take place in the spring. To see the trucks in person call the Franklin Fire Department at 615-791-3270 to schedule a station tour or apparatus demonstration.
FEATURES OF LADDER 5 AND LADDER 8
· 2015 Sutphen SA75 Quint Aerial ladder
· Cost $790,576.55 per truck
· Camera mounted at the top of the 75’ ladder.
· Digital, wireless intercom system which allows firefighters on the ground to talk to a firefighter at the top of the ladder. Features hands-free operation for the firefighter on the ladder.
· SmartDock SCBA air pack holder built into the seats. The inertia-controlled brackets securely retain the SCBA while in motion and allow the SCBA to be removed when stationary.
· Medical glove holders built into door pockets.
· Rear cab mounted transverse compartment – allows firefighters to easily access a shelf containing tools (spine boards, stokes baskets, pike poles, hooligan tools and more) they use on a daily basis from both sides of the truck.
· Rear and side back-up cameras.
· FRC brand lights “Which basically turn night into daylight,” said Horton, helping firefighters more easily spot addresses and light emergency scenes.
· PowerArc lighting – High-intensity LED emergency and scene lighting.
· Increased storage, including a larger inside storage cabinet for Advanced Life Support medical equipment and medications that need to be climate-controlled.
· Built-in firefighting foam system for fighting most fires.
· Carries 500 gallons of water.
· Firefighting pump can flow 2,000 gallons of water per minute.
· Traditional bell mounted on the front bumper.
To see footage of the ladder/nozzle camera in action and view other exciting features of Ladder 5 and Ladder 8 click HERE.
ABOUT OLD LADDER 5
New Ladder 5 replaces a 1998 Sutphen SA75. The old Ladder 5 will become Reserve Ladder 11.
Franklin Heat is a 30-minute original Franklin Fire Department program produced by Franklin TV. It can be viewed on the City of Franklin’s YouTube channel, as well as on Franklin TV, airing on Comcast channel 10 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99.
