SELAH, Wash. – The Selah Fire Department is taking fighting fires to new heights. A new firetruck will allow crews to attack flames from 78-feet in the air.
The city’s first ever ladder truck has been built, tested, delivered and now, pushed in to mark the start of its service. It’s a firefighter tradition from the 1800s, according to SFD Deputy Chief Scott Willis.
“When they would get back to the station after a call, the animals couldn’t push the wagon back in,” says Willis. “They would disconnect the animals and then all the other firefighters would push the wagon back in.”
While the new ladder truck isn’t horse drawn, the tradition stands today as a source of unity and pride between the firefighters.
“It’s kind of one of those cool things you always hear about growing up when you’re getting into the fire service,” says Willis. “It’s one of the things I really enjoy about the fire service, that tradition.”
Beyond the tradition, the ladder truck will serve the Selah community as it continues to grow. Willis says the development of taller buildings in the city required SFD to match the height to fight potential fires.
“This is big for our department, big for our community,” says the Deputy Chief. “With the taller townhouse style homes, taller commercial buildings coming into our district, this is a big investment for the Selah Fire Department.
SFD says its other trucks have ladders with them, but they take more manpower and can only go up to 35 feet.
By having its own aerial apparatus, the department doesn’t have to call out to the Yakima Fire Department or other neighboring crews to request a ladder.
The truck took over 600 days to build. Members from SFD flew down to Florida where the truck was constructed to go over plans, before moving it to Cascade Fire in Yakima.
Willis says the truck is built to last 25 years and expects the ladder truck to last in Selah long after his career.
“A lot can happen in 25 years,” says Willis. “A lot can change, so in my career I don’t see us outgrowing this at all.”
