WORCESTER — Imagine getting a shiny, new car.
Besides inhaling the pleasurable new car smell, you’re going to be extra careful backing out of the driveway or pulling into a tight spot because you don’t want to put a ding on the pristine exterior.
That’s how Worcester firefighter Capt. Matthew Santon feels.
“No one wants to put the first scratch,” said Santon with a smile Monday morning while he stood next to a spanking new $1.8 million ladder truck at firefighter headquarters on Grove Street. The experience of going from the old to the new Ladder 3 is like upgrading from a “Yugo to a Cadillac,” said Santon.
When this beauty is on the road responding to fires and emergency calls – expected to happen in the coming weeks – Santon will be in the cab’s passenger seat. That’s the command spot as Ladder 3 winds through Worcester neighborhoods.
Slew of new features: ‘Peace of mind’
At 555 inches long ‒ roughly 46 feet ‒ this truck is nearly four feet longer than the old one. That extra length could make it tougher for Santon and his crew to make those notorious tight turns on Worcester’s narrow streets.
With 15 years of service in the department, Santon isn’t worried, because this truck has a slew of upgrades – bells and whistles, so to speak – that can do the job. In those instances when turns are extra tight, Santon said, crews will do what they always do. They’ll hop out and serve as spotters while the driver carefully inches through the turn.
There’s much more to new Ladder 3 beyond extended length. Alarms tell firefighters when they’re not wearing a seatbelt, and digital monitors track all functions, including the truck’s weight and balance, to ensure stability and safety.
“Peace of mind,” is how Santon described what the enhanced safety features provide.
There is also a monitor on the driver-side exterior connected to a passenger-side exterior camera that makes it possible for one firefighter to control the “outriggers,” those mechanical arms that extend out on either side of the truck and dig into the ground to offer stability during rescues. It’s normally a two-person job, but having the monitor and camera can free a firefighter to handle other duties when necessary.
20 additional feet on ladder could be a life-saver
As for the biggest feature – the tallest, actually: there’s a 95-foot ladder for rescuing folks trapped in high perches. The reach is 20 feet longer than the one on the old Ladder 3.
“That 20 feet could be the deciding factor” in saving lives, said Assistant Fire Chief Adam Roche, who traveled to manufacturer Seagrave Fire Apparatus company in Wisconsin to make the final inspection before the new Ladder 3 was delivered to Worcester earlier this month.
This isn’t the only new truck the department is getting. Two more 95-foot ladder trucks are on the way from Seagrave, and they should arrive early next month. Plus, two new engine trucks manufactured by E-ONE in Florida are on the way from distributor Greenwood Emergency Vehicles in Attleborough, and Roche said those should arrive in Worcester sometime this month.
All five should be out on the streets by mid-November, and they come with a sizeable price tag. A total of $6.8 million, including $1.8 million for each ladder truck, and $700,000 per engine truck.
“Not in my career,” said Roche, a 20-year Fire Department veteran, when asked if the city has ever invested that amount of cash at one time in new fire trucks.
20 years: Time for a new one
Age is the deciding factor when it comes to replacement. When a truck reaches its 20th birthday, then it’s time for a new one, said Roche. That was the case with the old Ladder 3, which joined the Worcester fleet in 2004. The truck’s ladder is much older, dating all the way back to 1973.
Timing is also important, because replacement isn’t about making a quick call and having the new truck delivered the next day. There’s a lot of planning involved, explained Roche. An inventory of the fleet’s age must be carefully documented, because it takes three years from the time of order to when a truck arrives in Worcester. Then it takes time to train firefighters before a truck hits the road for duty.
Cost is another factor. Roche used the word “astounding” to describe the sticker price is for fire trucks these days, and it’s constantly rising. So not staying on top of the fleet’s age and managing orders can burden taxpayers with millions in extra expenses if trucks aren’t ordered at the right time.
Currently the department’s overall truck fleet has an average life of less than 10 years, said Roche. That puts the department in good shape, he said, adding that the city started ramping up fire truck replacements in 2014.
Now that a new ladder truck is here, and four more vehicles should arrive soon, that doesn’t mean the department doesn’t have its eye on more purchases. An engine truck will likely be needed in three years, said Roche, and maybe a new ladder truck as well.
South Division station: Home for Ladder 3
New Ladder 3 will work out of the South Division station on Southbridge Street, and the four shifts of firefighters who will operate the truck – a total of 16 firefighters – have completed training. Now there’s one final step before the truck is ready for prime time. The station’s garage door is being made taller so the new truck doesn’t have any issues with clearance.
When Ladder 3 eventually is seen motoring out that garage door, racing to emergency calls, Roche is confident it will do the job, and do it well for the city’s residents. As for Santon, he knows a couple of people who want to get a good look at this truck. They happen to be his two young children who wouldn’t miss a tour of Ladder 3 for the world, especially his 4-year-old son.
“He loves cars and trucks. He thinks they’re cool,” said Santon.
Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram.