City of Hartsville dedicates new ladder truck

The newest addition to the Hartsville Fire Department’s firefighting arsenal is now in service.

Firefighters and city officials dedicated a new fully-equipped ladder truck Tuesday in a ceremony that included the traditional wetting down of the truck followed by firefighters pushing the vehicle into its parking bay in the fire station.

The new truck, a 2010 model manufactured by Sutphen Corp., replaces a 34-year-old ladder truck that the city has used since 1996. That 1976 truck was taken out of service earlier this year after it failed to pass an inspection because its ladder mechanism is no longer working.

The new truck has a refurbished 1986 ladder mechanism.

The city had already spent about $100,000 on repairs to the old truck, and officials said repairing the ladder would cost another $87,000.

The city bought the new truck, now officially designated Tower 1, and its equipment at a cost of $726,638 through a lease purchase agreement, Interim City Manager Vern Myers said. The base cost for the truck itself was about $660,000, Myers said.

Acting Fire Chief Jeff Burr compared the new truck and the old one, which was parked beside it for the ceremony, to beauty and the beast.

“We’re very appreciative of this new ladder truck that we’re fixing to put into service,” Burr said.

Burr thanked Hartsville Mayor Mel Pennington, Hartsville City Council and Myers for funding the truck.

During the dedication ceremony, Burr, Pennington, Myers, city council members Johnny Andrews and Billy Shirley, Finance Director Renee Douglas and Darlington Fire Chief Jim Stone doused the new vehicle with buckets of water.

The Darlington Fire Department sent its ladder truck and several firefighters to participate in the ceremony. With its ladder extended well above the new Hartsville truck, the Darlington truck hosed down the new vehicle.

Myers strode up to the truck and kicked one of the tires before thanking the mayor and council and Douglas for managing to work the funding for the truck into the city’s budget in difficult economic times. He noted that the truck was not a planned purchase, but it was a necessary one, he said.

“It really is a red letter day for Hartsville,” Myers said.

“We did this for these guys,” he said, referring to the city’s firefighters. “One thing I’ve learned is that the Hartsville Fire Department is a very close knit group,” Myers said.

“Today is a new day for fire service in Hartsville,” said Mayor Pennington. “This represents a new commitment to serving this area.”

Pennington recently became one of the city’s newest volunteer firefighters.

The mayor thanked the city’s corps of firefighters, full-time and volunteers, for the work they do. He also thanked their families for the sacrifices that they make on a regular basis. “They truly have to put a commitment in through living a lifestyle that is not a normal lifestyle,” he said.

Fire Department Chaplain Flynn Menius offered a prayer of dedication for the new truck.

“It’s a beautiful truck,” Menius said. “It was bought in spite of very hard times. We’re proud of it. We dedicate it to the future safety and future protection of people and property in and around Hartsville.”