The 100-foot Pierce ladder truck at Station 1. Photo by D. Clapp/ Kinston Department of Fire and Rescue

The Kinston Department of Fire and Rescue has a new tool at its disposal to help keep the citizens of Kinston safe.

The KDFR took delivery last week of its brand new, $1.4 million Pierce ladder truck, with a 100-foot aerial platform.

Capt. William Barss said the new truck became necessary when the department’s 1987 ladder truck, which had a 110 foot aerial ladder, suffered a blown engine last December. Barss said the department had already looked at the options, but the engine failure forced them to expedite their order so the department would have the proper number of aerial devices.

Kinston City Councilman Joe Tyson said the new ladder truck was one of the major capital outlays in last year’s city budget. While the department was waiting on the delivery of the new truck, the highest ladder the department had was a 95-foot ladder truck.

“We’re back up in the 100-foot range with this new truck,” Barss said.

The new truck will be stationed at Station 1, and changes will be made so each station has an aerial device stationed there. The new truck has an aerial platform that is wind-resistant so it can be used even in windy conditions. The ladder and platform are steel-constructed for greater sturdiness compared to aluminum constructed platforms.

Members of the department trained on the new engine last week, so when the equipment that has been ordered arrives, the new Engine 1 will be ready to go into service.

“There is definitely a Christmas-type feeling. We’ve got new, up-to-date tools coming, such as the cutters and spreaders for extrication and newer model nozzles for firefighting, state-of-the-art stuff,” Barss said.

Barss said even though everyone is excited about the newness and state-of-the-art equipment, most of the excitement comes from once again having the tools at hand to allow the department to do its job and keep everyone in Kinston safe.