Nov. 6 -- ROCKFORD, IL -- Aldermen on Monday agreed to buy the Rockford Fire Department three new aerial ladder fire trucks for $3.2 million under terms of a 4.2 percent loan.
The trucks are sometimes called "quints" because they are a quintuple combination of five firefighting tools — water supply, pumps, hoses, ground ladders and aerial ladders. The loan will cost the city $479,529 a year for eight years.
The vehicles are expected to provide front-line response to fires, rescues and medical emergencies for about seven years before moving to a reserve truck capacity, Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten said.
"We got rid of the typical ladder trucks four years ago," Bergsten said. "Now they're multipurpose so they can go to any emergency."
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