Bridge Money Being Moved To Purchase Fire Truck

The Gadsden City Council last Tuesday approved the purchase at more than $1 million, of a new ladder truck for the Gadsden Fire Department.  It’ll tackle the funding mechanism soon.

The E-One HP75 Quint on an E-One Typhoon chassis will replace a 16-year-old ladder truck at Station No. 4 in Alabama City, and according to Chief Will Reed is a case of needing to move now or face a lengthy wait. 

Reed at a recent pre-council meeting said there’s often a two-, three- or even a four-year waiting list with most vendors for trucks like this one. 

“We’re fortunate through a partnership with E-One to find a truck that they will have off the line in February (2024), and will be available to the City of Gadsden next June,” he said. 

The $1,019,956 tab will be paid from American Rescue Plan funds that had been set aside for renovations to the Memorial Bridge on Broad Street, if the council approves an ordinance shifting those funds to the fire department’s account after its second reading. 

Mayor Craig Ford reiterated that “there are people in line to get these trucks,” and said he’s confident after a city delegation’s recent visit to Washington, D.C., that Gadsden will be successful in its request for federal grant money for bridge upgrades.