By Steven Fletcher
The Eagle-Tribune
GLOUCESTER, Mass. — With both ladder trucks out of commission earlier this week, acting Fire Chief Steven Aiello called for some help. He got it — from the city of Lawrence. The Gloucester Fire Department had been utilizing Lawrence Fire Department’s Ladder 4 as its main ladder truck, while Gloucester’s Ladder 1 was away for repairs.
Now, the city’s primary ladder is back. But the department also had to retire its reserve ladder truck several weeks ago after it failed a safety inspection.
Briefly without either a main or a reserve ladder truck, Aiello asked departments across Essex County for a truck that the city could borrow in the interim. Lawrence was the only department that could spare a truck, and the city is now using the Lawrence truck as its backup.
Lawrence Fire Chief Jack Bergeron said he got the message from Gloucester last Friday, and sent the truck to Gloucester on Monday.
How could cash-strapped Lawrence afford to send a ladder truck Gloucester’s way?
“I have spare equipment,” said Bergeron, “because there’s not enough manpower to man them.”
Lawrence’s department has 100 firefighters, while Gloucester has 72 working in rotating shifts of 14 to 18 men each.
Bergeron said the engine can stay in Gloucester for a little while. At the moment, he said, Lawrence’s Ladder 4, which dates to 1986, serves as his department’s reserve ladder.
Gloucester was forced to retire its reserve ladder truck — the 25-year-old Ladder 2 — after it flunked its annual safety inspection in February.
“The need for a backup ladder truck in this city is more urgent than a lot of municipalities because of (our) geographic area,” said Aiello. “It’s actually quicker to call back guys for the (reserve) ladder than call in for a mutual aid ladder truck.”
Copyright 2012 Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (CNHI)
All Rights Reserved