FORT MYERS, FLA. — Tiller truck, tractor-drawn aerial, tiller ladder, or hook-and-ladder.
Whatever you call it, it will be on the streets of Ft Myers as soon as August.
"In emergency services, it's all about speed," said Fire Chief Tracy McMillion." It's all about quickness. Time really, really is essential."
The shiny new $1.7 million vehicle is essentially a specialized turntable ladder mounted on a semi-trailer truck.
"This truck has an amazing ability to navigate," said Chief McMillion. "It can maneuver, and it's 107 feet in which can go up in the air to help us fight fire."
Also, what's old is new again.
The last time Ft Myers had a hook-and-ladder truck was 1926. Some of you might remember those old-timey, black-and-white movies, where a fire truck had two drivers, one in the front, and one in the back by the ladder.
Well, the same applies here.
Click to see what it takes to turn the new hook and ladder truck
"It actually articulates with two drivers, and having two drivers can actually make really tight turns," said Chief McMillion. "Some have said that wherever an Ford F150 can go, this truck can turn in that same area."
Engineer EMT Wesley Wilkinson is one of seven people certified to drive this truck in the department. He says it helps him respond to calls faster, especially on narrow streets.
"Driving downtown, driving our tight river districts, getting on scene, it helps us position the truck a lot better, and we can do a lot more functions than a normal truck would be able to do," said Wilkinson.
And if you noticed the red and black color scheme, that's on purpose too.
"Another specialty truck that we have coming sometime in the next two years is the first hazmat heavy truck in our area, which will have the same color scheme. So our specialty trucks... will actually stand out," Chief McMillion said.
