Butler Township Volunteer Fire District had a new ladder truck custom-made to fit the needs of the station. From left are firefighters Dalton Keibler and Dexter Keibler, chief Kevin Smith and assistant chief Joe LaDue.

It took about two years, but earlier this month a ladder truck weighing more than 20 tons with a 600-horsepower engine rolled into the Butler Township Volunteer Fire District station.

The department has had its current ladder truck for about 20 years and, according to its chief, Kevin Smith, new developments in fire fighting technology meant it was time for an upgrade.

“It has more safety features, supplemental air bags,” Smith said Friday. “It can carry up to six people in the back.”

Assistant chief Joe LaDue said the department had fundraised to pay for the truck, which cost about $2 million, from Smeal Fire Apparatus based in Snyder, Neb. It took years of fundraising to collect enough money, and it took Smeal about a year to manufacture the truck once it was ordered by the department.

The department is selling its old ladder truck, which it has had for about 20 years, for a price of about $1.1 million.According to LaDue, the new truck has a ladder length of 105 feet, and can shoot about 2,000 gallons of water per minute from its pump and about 1,500 from the ladder. The spraying ability of the extended ladder is the truck's not-so-secret weapon.“Its role is that it basically gives access to high rises and higher roofs,” LaDue said. “Then you can throw an abundant water stream.”But its utility at the scene of a fire is one of the biggest strengths of a ladder truck. LaDue said it will be used to carry a multitude of the department's tools, and it can be useful in search-and-rescue scenarios.“It's basically a toolbox on wheels,” LaDue said. “It has more storage space and can haul just as many people.”Smith said people in the area may see the truck, which is white with green accents and signage, driving around the next month for firefighter training.He said he hopes it will be in service by the end of October, and the department may schedule an open house where people can get an up-close-and-personal look at the truck.Once training is complete, the new truck could become a common sight at scenes of fires or vehicle accidents.“We will run it on almost all fire calls for service,” LaDue said.

Assistant Chief Joe LaDue, stares down the barrel of the water canon mounted on the Butler Township Volunteer Fire District’s new ladder truck which is housed at Station 3 on 121 Sparks Avenue.Harold Aughton/Butler Eagle

Assistant chief Joe LaDue stares down the barrel of the water cannon mounted on the Butler Township Volunteer Fire District's new ladder truck. The truck cost about $2 million and was bought after several years of fundraising.