Butler officials looking into ladder truck options
Repairing the Butler Fire Department's out-of-service ladder truck is probably not cost-effective, and buying a new one would require creative financing, Mayor Ben Smith said Thursday.
The response of ladder trucks from Butler Township Volunteer Fire District 3 and the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Department to Wednesday's fire on West Jefferson Street in Butler revived the issue of the city's lack of a ladder truck.
The fire displaced 25 tenants and a business from the two-story building.
The city's ladder truck has been out of service since it was damaged at a house fire in March 2017.
Smith said the truck is old and repairing it would be “fiscally irresponsible.” He said repairs might get the truck back into service for a while, but it would probably break down again and require additional repairs.
He said the condition of the truck is being assessed.
A full report appears in Friday's Butler Eagle.
