The Great Falls Fire Rescue Department showed off its new $1.6 million Enforcer 107-foot Ascendant PUC aerial recently.
The Ascendant is currently undergoing a post-delivery inspection. Once training on the new apparatus is complete, the Ascendant will go into service, the department said in a Facebook post Tuesday, Oct. 10.
GFFR was awarded $900,454 from an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that allowed the department to purchase the new apparatus to replace a 1996 SME Smeal quint, theelectricgf.com reported.
The 1996 quint has undergone major repairs and mechanical maintenance over the years as a result of heavy response volume. Due to AFG requirements and ongoing mechanical issues, the 1996 quint will be retired and no longer used for emergency response once the new aerial apparatus is in service. The purchase of the new aerial apparatus would not be possible without the AFG funding.
As with other grants awarded to GFFR, the application was written in-house, not contracted to a grant writing service.
