As city officials consider how to address the latest breakdown of the Butler fire department’s ladder truck, firefighters say the vehicle is a vital piece of equipment that the company can’t do without.

During an interview last week the department’s two in-house mechanics, firefighter Jeff Scott and Lt. Scott Marshall, called the ladder truck the most expensive piece of equipment for the fire company to maintain, and said repeated breakdowns in recent years have created a frustrating situation for the department.

Marshall said the vehicle, which is 18 years old, has been experiencing recurring problems during the past three years. Some of the breakdowns have covered extended periods — Marshall said the truck’s last issue was a hydraulic failure which put it out of service for a year and a half — and have kept it out of some high-profile emergencies.

On March 11, 2016, as firefighters fought a blaze at the Worsley’s building on Main Street, the truck was off getting its state inspection, Marshall said, having received $80,000 in work to put it back in service.

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