Union County Fire Department Looking to Replace 30-Year-Old Ladder Apparatus

UNION COUNTY, Ga. – The Union County Fire Department is preparing for the future as it considers replacing its aging ladder apparatus, a piece of equipment that has expanded the department’s ability to respond to fires and emergencies in larger buildings.

In September 2018, the department added “Ladder 1,” the first ladder apparatus in Union County Fire Department history, to its fleet. The apparatus is stationed at the department’s headquarters and Station 1, where it provides coverage for the city and surrounding large structures.

Ladder 1 is a refurbished 1995 HME custom-cab quint. The apparatus combines the capabilities of a ladder truck and a fire engine, carrying the ladders and equipment needed for elevated operations while also being capable of pumping water.

Before Ladder 1 was acquired, Union County relied on neighboring fire departments in Fannin, Towns, Lumpkin and Cherokee counties for ladder apparatus support through mutual-aid agreements. While those departments provided valuable assistance, the distance involved could result in longer response times.

A ladder apparatus serves several purposes beyond rescuing people from tall buildings. According to the Union County Fire Department, the equipment is needed for buildings more than three stories tall or higher than 35 feet, several of which are located throughout the area.

Firefighters can use the apparatus to access upper floors and roofs, ventilate burning structures, conduct search-and-rescue operations and attack fires from an elevated position.

One of the department’s primary uses for the apparatus is its elevated master stream. Large-building fires can require thousands of gallons of water per minute, and some buildings in Union County can require more than 3,500 gallons per minute to effectively fight a fire.

An elevated master stream allows firefighters to deliver large quantities of water from an elevated position and direct it toward specific areas of a burning structure.

When Union County purchased Ladder 1, the department said it was one of the few fire departments in North Georgia without a ladder apparatus. Funding from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or SPLOST, made the purchase possible.

The department credits Ladder 1 with increasing its firefighting capabilities and playing a significant role in maintaining its Insurance Services Office, or ISO, rating of 4/4Y.

After more than three decades of service, however, the apparatus is showing its age.

The department said it is now exploring the future purchase of a new ladder apparatus that can better meet the needs of Union County’s growing community.

“Ladder 1” remains an important part of the department’s fleet, providing capabilities that were previously dependent on neighboring agencies and their response times.