Friday, February 22, 2002
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Friday, February 22, 2002 |
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New tower truck for PTC Fire Department improves fire, rescue opportunities By JOHN
MUNFORD
High-rise rescues are now a more viable option for Peachtree City firefighters now that its new "tower" has been delivered. Tower 8 is a full-fledged fire truck with a platform that extends 104 feet in the air and can hold 10 or more people. It also pumps up to 1,500 gallons of water per minute, approximately 375 times the pressure of the typical residential water faucet. The tower reaches 29 feet further than the city's 19-year-old ladder truck. That may not seem like much, but when life-or-death situations arise that 29 feet could make a big difference if a fire ever broke out at an apartment complex like the AMLI or Summit Apartments, which are both four stories tall. "If we ever need to rescue somebody, we have a much better chance with this," said Fire Chief Stony Lohr. "We can reach the roof of any building in the city," said Lt. Dave Williamson. Firefighters can also spray water from the tower platform, giving them a way to attack major fires from the air when necessary. And those firefighters won't need their oxygen canisters since the tower has its own breathing equipment for them to use. The tower truck also contains "a lot of pipe," firefighting lingo for plenty of water hose: 1,200 feet of 5-inch hose and 600 feet of 3-inch hose. And there's more space to store rescue and fire equipment, including 147 feet in ground ladders ... another improvement over the older "ladder" truck. Custom features added to the truck were designed to reduce the amount of maintenance, such as the hydraulic electrical generator, which only needs a filter change each year. "We spec'd it out to get the biggest bang for the buck," Williamson said. The tower truck is so sophisticated that it will take a 40-hour training course for firefighters to become fully knowledgeable of its capabilities.
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