Million dollar fire truck back in the shop
By Kathryn Reed
The last time anyone saw the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department’s ladder truck it was on a flatbed headed east on Highway 50.
This specialized piece of equipment that cost the city more than $1 million has never seen one day of service since it arrived in town at the beginning of this year.
It is in Reno having the power take off assembly repaired. This connects the engine to the ladder. It disintegrated while an outside trainer was in town to show the troops how to use the rig.
This is the second time since the city took possession of the nearly 48-foot truck that something serious has gone wrong. The first was when a driver for the manufacturer drove it from Louisiana to Tahoe in six-wheel drive for part of the trip.
That took a while to fix because the part had to be manufactured outside the United States. The differential had to be rebuilt.
South Lake Tahoe’s ladder truck has not been operational since arriving in February. Photo/Provided
It will be a few more weeks before the ladder truck returns from Reno. When does it will be tested to make sure everything is working, and then training will resume.
While the parts that are failing are under warranty and new warranties are issued when they are fixed, the city is not satisfied with this being enough.
“We as a city have gone after the manufacturer trying to get some money back,” Fire Chief Jeff Meston told Lake Tahoe News. The City Attorneys Office is handling that aspect of the matter.
Meston said the state Lemon Law does is not a factor because it is not the same part that keeps failing.
The need for the ladder truck comes into play for tall buildings and those that are set back a ways.
“You don’t want a fire truck right on top of a building in case it would collapse,” Meston said.
To get the original Chateau project approved the city needed a working ladder truck.
The old ladder truck was so decrepit it was taken out of service in 2012.
The city has been relying on Tahoe Douglas for its ladder truck.
South Lake Tahoe’s truck does not have a tank, pump or hose bed. Adding them would have made the apparatus too heavy to be driven on California roads. Meston said it is common at larger fire departments for there to be separate engine and truck companies.
Besides the cost of the truck, the city also remodeled Station 2 across from South Tahoe Middle School so the truck will fit there. In the winter it will most likely be stored at Lake Tahoe Airport. The goal is to not have equipment sitting outside during the winter.
To me, this sounds like “the fire truck fiasco”. It was delivered broken and vital equipment was removed to make it legal to drive in California. So it would seem to be unusable unless accompanied by other trucks carrying the equipment. It’s so big they had to put on an addition to the fire house so it will fit inside.
What else can go wrong? But hey, it only cost a million bucks! OLS
And of course, the guys who drove it home in 6-wheel drive still have their jobs. Everybody still has their jobs, in spite of callous disregard for the tax-payers and their hard-earned money.
Easy come, easy go, huh? There’s a reason the agencies always “need” tax increases. ‘Cause this is how they operate.
“The goal is to not have equipment sitting outside during the winter”.??
Why is that several million dollars worth of snow removal equipment has been sitting outside for over 30 years??? While the county keeps their equipment under cover, ours sits in the weather and the sun rots the rubber and fades the paint.
Just another case of mis-management by the city.
Has anyone else noticed there hasn’t been an engine at station 2 for about a month? What is the current protection level being provided out of station 2? If no truck or engine are at the station where are the personnel being moved to?
I am sure with our new blood on the council things will change for the …….
The Manufacturer should cover the repair because their rep drove the truck in 6 wheel drive and broke it. It should be tested in Reno before they return it to us.
Also can we begin to store our snow removal equipment at the airport to keep it out of the elements when not in use.
If it were not so tragic it would be funny. Like something out of a comedy script. Fire departments are like homeland security…overpaid, underworked and largely unnecessary. I would rather the roads were fixed than waste $ on a 5 ton lemon.
Tahoebluewire, Your’e right! Fix the roads first! We got stuck with a million dollar lemon of a fire truck that will rarely be used as our streets are crumpeling and in dire need of repair!
Take care, OLS
This is a rerun from the past. When the City bought the former truck that was taken out of service it was a year or better before it was put into service. It wouldn’t stop because it was to heavy, it needed to be sent back to have another axle put under it because it couldn’t carry it’s own weight and for it’s entire life was in the shop with transmission troubles. The city could have save a million bucks if they had a strong relationship with Tahoe Douglas Fire and used their Truck company the 1 or 2 times a year that they may have used it. Also when the old truck got delivered it didn’t fit through the doors at the fire house. I do know these are all new people running the FD but stupid seems to run in their genes. Actually the real reason the City bought the Truck in the first place was to bring up the moral of the Fire Department. I watched the city council meeting when they approved the purchase when two shift commanders got up to speak and stated “It would greatly enhance the moral of the fire department if you (the council) purchased the truck”. So really nothing matters as long as the city firefighters feel good about it.
Repurpose the anti-tank vehicle the coppers got from the DoD. Add a big ladder, boom problem solved!
A $1M lemon. Wow.
John S, was it the company’s rep who drove it here? I’d heard that some of our fire dept guys went to get it.
But that’s just the rumour around town. . . if it’s not true, I’d like to know.
Sure does look bright and shiny though…
For the City of South Lake Tahoe, success is measured at the 50% benchmark. Just like recently repaving only half of Tahoe Keys Blvd., and Jeffery, with the other half left potholed and crumbling.
Why on earth all the raises for such performance are bestowed by the bewildered city council is beyond comprehension.
So what is this 1 million dollar lemon of a fire truck to be used for? How many hi rises on So. Shore?
Granted, the casinos, but Douglas Co. already has a ladder truck for stateline.
So it looks like the city spent alot of taxpayer dollars on a fire truck that does’nt run and is too big to fit in the firehouse.
This truck is so big and heavy it will not work in most residential areas of So. Shore, (try makin’ a 3 or 4 point turn in a 50 ft. truck in one of our neighborhoods!).
So I think this million dollar purchase was not well thought out. Just my opinion!!! OLS
Hmmm . . . you are on point my friend. It is bright and shiny.
Just imagine when it’s all covered in Xmas lights . . .WOOHOO! That’s bang for the buck
OLS, which city council member that you just said you were voting for was out there bragging about how the city got a new ladder truck? Old guys, keeping the good old boys on city council, making the same old mistakes.
OLS, you are consistent…consistently wrong…but consistent.
The ladder truck is able to deliver water into a house fire from above. Its a huge help. This one is hooked to a pumper and then can deliver water.
Its why any small to medium size city has an ladder, thousands of them all across the country.
…sigh…
KAE Google HOW MANY FIRE TRUCK MANUFACTURES ARE IN THE USA?
Then ask how many of those manufactures were asked to bid THAT TYPE TRUCK
The money that was used to purchase this equipement Did not come out of the general fund but came from the state and it could not have been used for our roads. It was also paid with a loan i think and the payment is paid via that state grant.
The manufacturer drove the truck out in six-wheel drive, not SLTFD. Also, the truck was purchased with Proposition 172, it’s a statewide 1/2 cent sales tax that is split between cities in California.
I would rather spend my tax dollars on a fire tuck then have it squandered on schools educating illegals paying for their healthcare, welfare and daycare. Put your finger in the largest leak in government! Tell all the deadbeats to get to work welfare fraud is a joke. A fireman will die for you….without question
Government procurement at its finest. Take the low bid that results in the highest cost per mile of owning the vehicle. Our tax $s always spent in the best possible manner. Ever wonder why NATO uses Toyota(lowest cost per mile vehicle at times), oh, their life depends on it,….
Would you all like some cheese with your WHINE. yall got up on the wrong side of the bed. Lets just pick some part of our community to rip a new one. I know, lets whine about blog trolls. There is a bunch right here…
To my critics, Yes, I suppose we need a ladder truck. Although rarely used , they are good to have on hand.
Our town does not have many buildings that are over 3 or 4 stories high ,which in my view could be put out with regular fire trucks. Bare in mind, I’m my no expert on this type of stuff! Just voicin’ my thoughts on things.
On the new fire truck? It seems to have some reliability problems, hopefully it can all be fixed up and this piece of equipment will last a long time.
Take care and be fire safe, OLS
OLS:
The City, El Dorado County, and Douglas County all respond with their own equipment to each other’s fire emergencies when necessary. Douglas County’s ladder truck has been the largest and it was used to fight the fire at Peter Darvas’ home because that apparatus has the ability to deliver water from above, thus it helped protect the fire from spreading further into that neighborhood and into the tree canopies/crowns. It’s my understanding that this same truck was used to fight the fire at the drug house that burned right behind your property OLS, so in essence it prevented your home and your neighborhood from burning to the ground.
So that’s the reason and the purpose for the “1 million dollar lemon of a fire truck” as you like to call it, and its use won’t be limited solely to hi-rise fires on the South Shore; it can reach and spray over the tops of the tree canopies.
John S is correct that it was the manufacturer who delivered the truck in 6 wheel drive and broke it, which was reported at a City Council meeting. As usual everyone wants to blame the City for that and for purchasing a piece of equipment that if we didn’t have but was needed and extensive damage occurred, they’d all be screaming that the City was incompetent because they didn’t anticipate the need for such and have that equipment.
Like always, you can please some of the people some of the time, and some people never.
Who researched the manufacturer and what was their reliability rating?
I don’t buy a major retail item including an auto without researching through Consumer Reports for maintenance records.
While Consumer Reports doesn’t report on fire engines, there is a way to research the manufacturer if only by calling former customers of theirs.
Why would the city keep the ladder truck out at the airport if we just spent $100,000 plus to get it into station 2? It needs to be in the middle of town, not as far away from the high rises as it can get. Tahoe78 I also would like to know why no staff at station 2. So if the ladder truck is needed in the winter firemen will have to drive to the airport then report to the fire 20 minutes later, give me break!!! Is the city council aware of this crapposees!
has douglas county FD stopped laughing at us yet?
No we haven’t.
Well, as best as I can tell the new ladder truck is on the mend and will soon be operational. Hooray!
The fire in the illegal grow house behind me was put out by conventional fire trucks and a bunch of hard working fire fighters. SLT’S BEST.Thanks guys !!!!
The problems with this million dollar truck are the fault of the manufacturer, NOT the city of SLT.
Sure, the city put out the big bucks but sometimes you don’t get what you paid for.
So buyer beware!!!
So hopefully the truck gets fixed and works for a long time. We can always use another fire truck and a few more fire fighters. OLS
Slt123 and usmc
I can’t tell you how much I appreciated your facts.
Thank you for weighing in.
If this was required for the Chateau project, let them pay for it . Ditto for casinos.
tahoegal, this was required to replace the old ladder truck which was very very old. If your home or better yet a neighbors catches fire i am sure you would love for firefighters to be able to shoot water down on a fire from above keeping fires from reaching tree tops.
The hook and ladder truck we replaced was over thirty years old and unsafe, by all mandated standards, for our firefighters to use. It was not our people who did the damage, and our attorney is on top of this.
From a fire fighting advantage, it is much safer and more efficient to be able to project water down on top of a fire. This truck also has the capacity to lower the ladder over the edge of a drop off to help rescue victims injured in falls more quickly and safely.
Yes, we have used the hook and ladder truck from Douglas County at times. Their truck, however, does not have all wheel drive, and since it is usually based at the top of Kingsbury in the winter, is not always safe to obtain when needed.