TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1975.
FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT ORDERS MORE ADVANCED EQUIPMENT
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THE FIRE-FIGHTING AND RESCUE CAPABILITIES OF THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT WILL BE FURTHER INCREASED WITH THE ADDITION OF THREE 170-FT TURNTABLE LADDERS ORDERED FROM A WEST GERMAN - COMPANY.
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THE LADDERS, TOGETHER WITH VEHICLE CHASSIS AND ENGINES, COST A TOTAL OF $3.7 MILLION. THEY ARE EXPECTED TO ARRIVE TOWARDS THE END OF NEXT YEAR.
CONSTRUCTED OF STEEL, THEY WILL HAVE SEVEN SECTIONS AND BE HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED. THE MAXIMUM EXTENSION IS 170 FEET, BUT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO OPERATE AT LOWER HEIGHTS,
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THE LADDERS ALSO INCLUDE AN ELEVATOR CAPABLE OF TRAVELLING ABOUT ONE FOOT PER SECOND CARRYING TWO FIREMEN AND FACILITIES FOR REMOTE CONTROL OPERATION.
THE MAXIMUM ELEVATION WILL BE 75 DEGREES AND IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO ROTATE THE LADDERS THROUGH 360 DEGREES.
NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE PURCHASE OF THE 170-FT LADDERS HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR SOME TIME AND INCLUDED A VISIT BY TWO FARE SERVICES DEPARTMENT OFFICERS TO THE MANUFACTURER'S FACTORY.
THE LONGEST LADDERS AT PRESENT IN SERVICE WITH THE DEPARTMENT EXTEND 100 FEET AND CAN REACH UP TO THE NINTH FLOOR OF A BUILDING.
+WITH THE NEW EQUIPMENT,+ A FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID, +WE WILL BE ABLE TO EXTEND OUR LADDER OPERATIONS UP TO THE 15TH FLOOR.+
THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAS LONG LED THE WAY IN BOLSTERING ITS CAPABILITIES WITH MODERN EQUIPMENT. IT WAS THE FIRST TO ORDER THE 100-FT ALL STEEL TURNTABLE LADDER MANUFACTURED IN 1933 BY THE MERRYWEATHER COMPANY OF GREAT BRITAIN.
ON ORDER AT. PRESENT ARE ONE 91-FT AND TWELVE 50-FT SNORKELS (ELEVATED HYDRAULIC PLATFORMS) WHICH ARE RECOGNISED AS BEING AMONG THE MOST EFFECTIVE FIRE FIGHTING AND RESCUE EQUIPMENT.
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