GALION, Ohio – Members of the Galion community got up close and personal with the city’s new aerial fire truck on Wednesday during an open house at the Galion Fire Department.
“Today is a thank-you to the public. It’s through their tax money we’re able to purchase something like this, and through a lot of other people’s hard work and persistence on pressing the need for the truck,” said Chief Phil Jackson. “It’s one thing for me to make the argument but it means more when members of the public come forward; for that reason alone is why we got one.”
The new truck has been parked in Galion since Friday, Aug. 7, two days after Galion City Council held a special meeting of city council to pass an ordinance moving forward with the purchase of the truck. The purchase had previously been delayed by the refusal of Treasurer Paula Durbin to sign the $695,000 purchase check to Sutphen Corporation.
While the aerial truck hasn’t been used yet, Jackson said all Galion firefighters have been trained for its use. Currently the Galion Fire Department has 17 people on staff.
“With the staff we have, we have a couple trucks now that suit our department and our size better than ever before,” said Jackson. “We have one less truck than we had when I started, but our capacity is so much more.”
The new aerial truck features cameras that provide 360-degree vision around the truck for safety purposes, and was made as a single-axle truck to better serve the streets of Galion. The truck also features LED lighting that uses less power and is much quieter.
“It’s a little longer truck, so you have to be a little more aware of your surroundings when you’re driving it,” said Jackson. “We’ve taken steps to make it fit Galion by making it a single-axle truck, which is the right size for the type of roads and the size of the streets we have.”
Jackson explained Galion’s two other fire trucks are a tanker pumper and a rescue pumper, serving the department well when responding to house fires or car accidents. The aerial truck, with its 75-foot ladder, gives the department much-needed height. Jackson noted he’s climbed the length of the ladder himself.
“I’ve been up there, I wouldn’t ask an employee to do something I wouldn’t be willing to do myself,” he said with a laugh.
In addition to climbing in and out of the truck and sitting in the driver’s seat, members of the public were given the opportunity to climb up the ladder on Wednesday.
Fifteen-year-old Luke Eisnaugle made the journey all the way to the top of the ladder.
“I like heights so it wasn’t scary, it’s just a little wobbly,” said Eisnaugle. “Gives you a whole different perspective on Galion.”
In keeping with tradition, the new aerial truck was also painted “Galion red,” a shade of red a bit darker than most rescue vehicles that is custom-made for Galion. Jackson said he is pleased with the fleet of trucks he has at the station now.
“We’ve got everything covered,” he said. “We’ve got the pump capacity that Galion needs, and everything is now what it should be.”
