Syracuse, New York

[fyreline]

Any plan to replace the 135 ladder by a new E-One 137?

 

That will, of course, be up to the current Chief of Fire. I did make a recommendation upon my retirement . . . as long as it continues to pass its certification every year, I would keep it in the fleet. As a fire ground commander, it's always another nice tool to have in your box. I used it a few times, but very few. It would be extremely difficult to justify the expense of a new replacement (at well over a million dollars) for a vehicle that will be very rarely used, versus two engines for the same cost that would be used every single day. So, my final recommendation was to keep and maintain it as long as it passes certification, and the first time it doesn't, send it down the road and do not replace it. Even a complete rebuild, as Oklahoma City did to theirs, would be prohibitively expensive - although I did look into doing that. Sometimes budgetary constraints prevent you from doing everything you would like to do, but we all have to play the hand we are dealt. That's part of management.