In November, we posted an article which stated the intention of the Lake Zurich Fire Department to sell their Pierce tower ladder. The Journal Topics Newspaper (online) and the Daily Herald have articles about the Des Plaines Fire Department‘s interest in purchasing the tower ladder.

A Journal Topics article from last Thursday stated:

Members of a Des Plaines City Council committee tonight (Thursday) will consider the purchase of a fire ladder truck that could fulfill the department’s desire for a replacement vehicle at a much cheaper cost.

… including the possible purchase of a used ladder truck from the Lake Zurich Fire Dept.

“The ladder truck that I and many council members would like to replace is a 23-year-old Simon LTI”, said Ald. Walsten. “This ladder truck is in poor condition. The manufacturer is out of business so we actually have to have many replacement parts custom manufactured at a great expense, as well as time delay.”

According to Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax, “The current truck is beyond its life cycle and will have to be taken out of service soon.”

A total of $1.4 million for a new Des Plaines Fire Dept. replacement ladder truck was included in the proposed 2013 budget considered by aldermen. The decision to buy a new truck has been put on hold pending the outcome of a study to determine whether two ladder truck companies are necessary in Des Plaines. Even if the decision is to only have one ladder truck operating, this truck is needed as a back-up, said Walsten.

“When Chief Wax informed me about the availability of the Lake Zurich truck, I was ecstatic,” said Walsten. “It’s a 2000 Pierce with 66,000 miles on it. We had a consultant examine the truck and he reported that it was in very good condition.”

Added Walsten, “The cost of the truck, additional equipment that comes with it, and a potential offset for the possible sale or scrapping of the current ladder truck now or in the future puts the total cost to Des Plaines at less than $390,000. This deal is going to save the taxpayers in Des Plaines around $1 million and that is significant.”

The complete article is HERE.

Monday’s Daily Herald’s article says:

The Des Plaines city council tonight will consider spending about $400,000 to buy a used aerial ladder truck from Lake Zurich to replace an aging ladder truck well past its useful life.

The city’s public safety committee this week agreed to recommend the purchase to the city council.

The fire department currently has two ladder trucks in service to cover the east and west sides of town, split by railroad tracks. They city’s 32 at-grade railroad crossings with frequent train traffic make it difficult to respond quickly across town with just one ladder truck, officials say.

The value of the truck is appraised at $10,000 and it’s unlikely any department would purchase it in its current condition, Wax added.

The city has allocated $1.4 million out of its equipment replacement fund in its 2013 budget to purchase a new ladder truck, which would be expected to last 18 years.

In coming months, city officials will be discussing whether the department needs two ladder trucks to be in service at all times. A study commissioned by the city council on that question is pending.

Even if only one ladder truck were operating, Wax said, a reserve truck is needed in case the first breaks down.

Lake Zurich’s truck is 12 years old, but has clocked only 66,000 miles because it was rarely used and is in excellent condition, Wax said.

This complete article is HERE.