The Ketchikan Fire Department welcomed its newest aerial firefighting truck to town Monday morning when it rolled off of the Alaska state ferry Kennicott.
KFD Assistant Fire Chief Scott Brainard said the truck will replace the 1998-model aerial truck that the department has been depending on.
The new truck offers several improvements, Brainard said. Those include an on-board water tank, two nozzles instead of only one at the top of the 100-foot tower, and a basket at the top of the tower that will allow two firefighters to work side-by-side.
The nozzles each can flow 1,000 gallons of water per minute and from a greater height, both of which are superior to what the old truck is capable of, he said. The aerial ladder reaches up to 100 feet.