The City Council Tuesday approved an order from Mayor Richard Kos for the appropriation of $1,280,000 for the purchase of a new Aerial Platform truck for the Chicopee Fire Department.

The Chicopee Fire Department currently has two ladder trucks in their fleet. The 1995 Aerial Platform, housed at Station 1, is in need of replacement as soon as practical. Because of its age, repairs have become frequent and problematic as replacement parts can be difficult to locate and can take up to six months to be delivered causing the apparatus to be put out-of-service during that time. While the truck still passes inspection, firefighters need to be extra cautious and move slower when responding to emergencies. The other ladder truck, a 2004 model housed at Station 5 in Willimansett, has a 100 foot ladder but no platform or water pump.

The Fire Department is current exploring options including a new 2018 Arrow XT aerial platform truck. This model is a production line model that can take up to a year to be built once ordered depending on market demands. The truck features a 100-ft ladder with a platform, a 300-gallon water tank, and a 2,000 gallon per minute water pump.

“I would like to thank Mayor Kos and the Council members for approving the purchase of an aerial platform truck,” said Fire Chief Dean Desmarais. “This very essential piece of apparatus is vital in providing life safety protection to the community.  It will replace our 1995 model which has exceeded its capacity for reliability.”

 “In Chicopee we are able to offer excellent emergency response, whether it be police, fire, or ambulance,” said Mayor Kos. “The purchase of this ladder truck will allow us to continue to maintain that quality of service.”

The Chicopee Fire Department will retain the 1995 Aerial Platform truck as a reserve to be used when other trucks are being serviced.