Related Blog Post on The Kitchen Table: Boston Issues Present Clear and Present Danger
By Kelsey Abbruzzese
The Associated Press
BOSTON — The first Boston Fire ladder truck to undergo mandatory inspections in the wake of a crash that killed a firefighter last week had a problem with its brakes and was taken out of service Monday.
Mechanics discovered a linkage problem in Ladder 14’s brakes, and the problem should be repaired by Tuesday night, said Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald. The problem was with the system that ensures brakes on all four wheels are activated at the same time, not with the brakes themselves, he said.
MacDonald said the only other truck examined on Monday passed inspection.
“We’ll start again tomorrow morning. This is probably going to take a couple of weeks to go through the entire fleet,” he said. Officials were trying to find a second shop to assist in the inspections to speed up the process of checking out the fire department’s fleet of 22 ladder trucks, 33 engines and two rescue units, MacDonald said.
Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser ordered a brake system inspection on the city’s fire trucks after a ladder truck careened down a steep hill Friday and crashed into an apartment building. Lt. Kevin Kelley, who was in the passenger seat, died instantly and three other firefighters were injured.
Investigators believe brake failure may have caused the crash.
The truck pulled out of service Monday is the same type and make as the truck involved in Friday’s crash, MacDonald said.
The Boston Firefighters Union has blamed the crash on department failure to replace aging trucks. The truck that crashed was a 1995 model. The truck that failed the inspection Monday is a 1993 model.
A ladder truck also crashed into a parked car outside fire department headquarters Sunday morning. No one was injured in that accident or in a Jan. 1 incident, when the driver of another ladder truck lost control and crashed into a fence.
Edward Kelly, president of Local 718, said he did not know what caused the crashes but is concerned about their frequency.
The union has asked Gov. Deval Patrick to order a state inspection. Patrick said Monday he is prepared to work with city leaders to make sure the firefighters have the resources they need.
“We are here to help in any way that we can,” he said. “Obviously we share an interest as everyone does in the safety of the firefighters and the adequacy of the equipment.”