The Indianapolis Fire Department recently took delivery of two more Pierce Manufacturing 105-foot aerial ladders to add to its Pierce fleet of five 105-foot aerial ladders, one 107-foot aerial ladder, five 100-foot rear-mount aerial platforms, one 100-foot tractor drawn aerial (TDA), one 110-foot aerial platform, 44 engines, four tankers, four heavy rescues, two hazardous materials trucks, and five mini-rescues, as well as seven aerial ladders in reserve.
“We don’t carry any pumps or water tanks on our aerial ladders,” says Steve Battles, Indianapolis battalion chief. “We spread our Pierce 105-foot aerial ladders around the city, and have reconfigured our 105s to an overall height of 11 feet, 8 inches to accommodate some of our low railroad bridges, but this height will still not allow us to drive under all of the older bridges.”
Tim Smits, senior sales manager of aerial products, notes that Indianapolis has always run its heavy duty ladders as true trucks with no pump or water tank. “And these aerial ladders have a TAK-4 independent front suspension, an air ride suspension on the rear axles, an Akron 3486 StreamMaster II electronic monitor with smoothbore tips at the ladder tip, and hydraulic controls instead of our Command Zone™ technology.”
Garry Davis, sales representative for the MacQueen Emergency Group, who sold the trucks to Indianapolis, says the identical 105-foot aerial ladders are built on an Enforcer chassis and cab with seating for six firefighters in Pierce PSV self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats with IMMI SmartDock brackets, powered by a 510-horsepower (hp) Paccar MX 13 diesel engine, and an Allison 4500 EVS automatic transmission. Wheelbase on the rigs is 242-1/2-inches, overall length is 42 feet, 9 inches, and overall height is 11 feet, 8 inches.
Davis says the extended front bumpers on the aerial ladders have a receiver for a portable winch, as well as clips to hold pike poles, while the aerial itself has a quicklock waterway and Whelen rope lighting on each aerial section. Each aerial ladder has a Smart Power 6.2-kW generator, onboard receptacles for a shore line and generator power, a backup camera, and a David Clark intercom.
Ground ladders stored in a rear slide-in compartment include a 35-foot two-section extension ladder, a 28-foot two-section extension ladder, a 24-foot two-section extension ladder, one 20-foot roof ladder, two 16-foot roof ladders, a 14-foot folding ladder, and six pike poles.
The rigs have two Whelen LED Freedom IV light bars, two GoLight Radioray LED spotlights, an Opticom LED traffic light controller, Whelen LED emergency lighting, and Whelen Pioneer PCP2 LED scene lighting.
Battles points out that Indianapolis is in the process of ending its first 10-year apparatus replacement plan that calls for 10 years of primary service for a rig, and five years in reserve. “We are starting the second part of the plan now, and are looking to replace some 20-year-old aerial ladders,” Battles says. “We have some older midmount aerial platforms that have low overall height profiles and they are great for the areas where we have low bridges. But it’s the 105-foot aerial ladders that are the workhorse rigs of all our trucks. “
He adds that Indianapolis will have two more 105-foot aerial ladders coming off of Pierce’s line in May, and that the department plans to order two more of the aerial ladders in October. Battles says that the cabs of the 105s and the department’s Pierce pumper are identical, with the same light packages, door handles, and other elements to keep the rigs consistent around the city. “These rigs are non-multiplexed and non-computerized except for the throttles,” he says, “and our pumpers run manual pressure relief valves and two-stage pumps. We think keeping things simple is better.”
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona-based journalist, the author of three novels and five nonfiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
