Anna Newhoff
NCR Reporter
A new aerial ladder truck enhances fire coverage in Nassau County.
Firefighters now have more flexibility and faster response times in areas that previously had limited coverage.
The truck is stationed at the new Nassau County Fire Rescue Station 10, located at 75822 Edwards Road, Yulee. The station officially opened May 7 and the truck went into use May 31. These improvements mark a major step forward in fire safety for neighborhoods west of Interstate 95.
The truck features a 100-foot aerial ladder capable of reaching high elevations and can deliver water directly into a burning building.
“If one of these buildings were on fire and it was in the middle of the building and the roof collapses, we need to get water up there and shoot it down inside,” said NCFR Chief Brady Rigdon.
Firefighters can climb the ladder to direct the water stream or perform rescues. While the truck has not yet been used to fight an active fire, it has already been dispatched on calls.
The NCFR held a demonstration of the new truck June 18 in the parking lot next to the Yulee Target, showcasing the spray range of when the truck is hooked up to a fire hydrant.
The amount of spray that comes from the nozzle depends on the amount of pressure coming from the water source.
“We will bring (water) into our pump. We can open values and direct water … giving us an aerial stream,” Rigdon said.
Before Station 10 opened, the closest fire response came from Station 30 in Yulee or Station 50 in Callahan. The new Edwards Road station fills the gap between these two, serving neighborhoods such as Plummer Creek and Timber Creek.
“All those neighborhoods in there now get service much quicker than they did before,” said Rigdon.
This truck is only one of two aerial ladder trucks in Nassau County, with the other stationed at Station 20 in Fernandina Beach. The new truck and station were purchased as part of the Florida Developments of Regional Impact agreement between Greenpointe Developers and the county. The developers will receive impact fee credits to offset the cost of the vehicle. The fire truck cost approximately $1.3 million.
reporter@nassau
countyrecord.com