Evanston aldermen [were] scheduled to approve spending just over $1 million to purchase a new aerial ladder truck for the city’s fire department.
The new rear-tiller steered Pierce truck, equipped with a 100-foot aerial ladder, would replace a similar 23-year-old model that officials say is in poor condition.
Three years ago the city replaced its other aerial ladder truck, a 1990 model, with a new one for $958,000. That purchase was largely funded by a $600,000 federal homeland security grant.
The city has failed to qualify for a similar grant for the new truck, and so it plans to fund the purchase of the new vehicle — which has a projected 20-year life cycle — through general obligation bonds issued this year.
The articulated tiller design of the truck is designed to provide a tighter turning radius to more easily maneuver Evanston’s narrow streets.
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