POLAND Aerial truck will return soon, says fire official

The truck was taken out of service to repair a failed gasket.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- The Western Reserve Joint Fire District will be without an aerial ladder truck until Monday, but fire officials say residents in the village and township have nothing to fear.
Ed Chinowth, senior adviser, chief emeritus and inspector, said a gasket on the 10-year-old truck failed -- allowing water to enter areas of the truck that are normally supposed to remain dry. The truck was taken out of service Monday and is expected back by next Monday.
Chinowth said the problem was discovered during an annual safety check, but had the vehicle malfunctioned during an actual emergency it could have still been used for rescue without the water hose.
The truck is the department's only aerial ladder truck, used for transporting instruments used in forcible entry, to gain access to roofs and upper level windows, and for spraying water on burning rooftops.
Fire Chief David Comstock, said equipment usually carried by the truck is being moved to other vehicles. In the event of a large fire where an aerial truck is needed, the chief said help would have to be elicited from neighboring departments such as Boardman Township.
Costly vehicles
The department has four other fire trucks without ladders and three service vehicles in use ranging from a 1975 model to a 2003 model. Comstock said sending the trucks in for repairs, and checking annually for problems, avoids the need to replace the trucks in the near future with costly new vehicles -- some in the area of $500,000.
"Most people don't know that new engines cost more than most people's homes," he said. "That is why the levy renewal is so important. There is no new money involved, but if it fails we will be in a real operating crisis." Voters will decide the issue in November.
According to Comstock, the 1-mill levy accounts for about 40 percent of the department's operating funds.
The department is slated to receive $122,645 in state funding, but Comstock said that money can only be used for training, and to ensure wellness and fitness of firefighters.