DMFD Ladder Truck 142

Writer Stephanie Maher Palenque

I started to take notice of fire trucks at a very early age. It began when my Mom used to take my sisters and me to visit the South Orange, New Jersey Fire Department where my Dad, Peter Maher, served as a paid firefighter for thirty-one years. I noticed how the firefighters spent their time at the station in between calls proudly cleaning and polishing the trucks. When I was a college student in the same town, I would jump into my car when I heard the town’s fire alarm sound, and I would follow the sound of the trucks’ sirens and watch with pride as my Dad hung off the back of one of those gleaming trucks on the way to help a family whose home was engulfed in flames, or a diner that was experiencing a grease fire, or any other of a number of situations.

Many years later, the image of Truck 145 of the Daisy Mountain Fire Department became seared into my memory as I rode behind them when they were en route to the hospital with my Dad in the back, a patient who was in the middle of a critical heart attack. To this day, I can’t see Truck 145 without remembering and being grateful for the speedy, professional, and caring service that the crew provided on that day.

Chances are that the average person doesn’t take particular notice of a fire truck unless it is during a serious or potentially life-changing event. However, once we do notice them, we are eternally grateful for them being there, and in good service.

In April, the long-awaited Ladder Truck 142 was put into service at Daisy Mountain Fire Station. The truck’s greatest feature is its 100-foot ladder that ensures that firefighters will be able to navigate fires in larger commercial buildings, including schools like Boulder Creek High School, Bella Rosa Apartments, and supermarkets. The truck carries a full complement of special tools to support firefighting and rescue efforts. Perhaps the most critical piece of equipment on the truck is the Jaws of Life, a tool used for extraction from cars when there has been an accident and a mangled car needs to be cut away in order to free a passenger so that they can get the medical help they need. The truck does not carry water like a traditional fire pumper or engine; rather, it provides critical support for firefighting and rescue efforts. When necessary, however, Ladder 142 is capable of supplying 1,000 gallons of water per minute when supported by a pumper or engine.

In conjunction with firefighting efforts, ladder crews provide ventilation during fires, significantly reducing temperatures, and improving visibility for interior firefighters. They protect furniture and other belongings from smoke and water, minimizing damage from the fire. When passengers are trapped in auto accidents, special extrication equipment is utilized to free them. In addition to the specialty needs, the Ladder Truck is available to respond to medical calls in the District, staffed with paramedics who provide the highest level of advanced pre-hospital medical care.

Before the arrival of Ladder Truck 142, the department used what is referred to as a “Ladder Tender,” which carries the same equipment with the exception of the 100-foot platform. In the past, if the 100-foot ladder was needed, Phoenix Fire Ladder 41 was dispatched from I-17 and Union Hills, or Ladder 50 located just north of the 101 Freeway on 35th Avenue. Captain Wilson explains, “Assuming that the trucks were available when needed, a fifteen- to twenty-minute response time was expected due to their location. Having this resource available to citizens of the Daisy Mountain Fire District greatly improves the services and ensures a rapid response. Our goal as a department is to have apparatus safely on the scene of any emergency within five minutes.”

Firemen have a deep respect for and take pride in the trucks that they drive, because they know from experience the difference that they can make in the lives of those in the community. Ladder truck number 142 belongs to the community, and will make a difference in the lives of untold neighbors in the future. Should you want to take a look at this truck, take a tour of the fire station, or get to know the firemen in our community a little bit better, stop by and visit – and remember to thank them for their dedicated service!