The New Kensington fire department hoped to have its aerial ladder truck back in service by the end of last week, fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said Wednesday.

After that, the job became figuring out how the city will pay the anticipated $1.5 million to replace the 24-year-old vehicle.

“We certainly understand the importance of it,” Mayor Tom Guzzo said. “We’re helping in any way we can.”

The two cylinders that help extend the four sections of the 105-foot ladder failed while the truck was being used to fight a fire March 6 on Fourth Avenue. The fire started in a duplex before spreading to a neighboring home and a commercial building. Angel A. Gray, 49, died in the fire.

The ladder’s extension cylinders failed toward the end of the fight, Saliba said. No firefighters were hurt.

“When the cylinders failed, the ladder started to retract on its own,” Saliba said. “The guys kind of felt it. They took their time getting off of it.”

The cylinders were taken off the truck and sent out to be rebuilt. Saliba said they were waiting for other parts before they could reinstall the cylinders.

Saliba said the 1998 Spartan/Smeal heavy-duty aerial ladder truck is tested every year and last passed a test in October. The cylinders that failed had not previously been rebuilt. Its main lift cylinders had to be rebuilt after the December fire at St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Arnold.

The department’s only aerial ladder, the truck is housed at Station No. 1 downtown. Saliba said it responds to nearly every fire call in the city and has continued to be used despite its inoperative ladder.

That’s because in addition to its ladder, the truck carries a large amount of equipment and gear, including hand ladders, forcible entry tools and ventilation saws and fans.

“It’s very important,” Saliba said of the aerial truck. “It’s the tallest one on our side of the river.”

Saliba said the truck has been used to rescue flood victims.

“It’s a very versatile piece of apparatus,” he said. “It’s very crucial for us to have it to protect not only the citizens of New Kensington but the surrounding communities we provide mutual aid for.”

Saliba said it’s time to replace the aerial ladder. The nonprofit National Fire Protection Association recommends aerial trucks be replaced after 20 years.

“The truck looks great, but it’s 24 years old. We maintain it yearly, which every year it gets costlier,” he said.

“Because of how well we maintain our apparatus, we’re able to extend the longevity of its service life,” he said. But, “It’s getting to the point where it’s needed now.”

Saliba recently told city officials a new truck could cost $1.5 million — more than three times the $434,000 price of 1998. Saliba said it was the last major vehicle the city bought for the department outright.

Saliba said he plans to talk with city council and other officials about how to replace the truck.

“We would have to get together and write a set of specifications as to what would be the best for us,” Saliba said.

Guzzo said city officials plan to work with the fire department to make that happen, but it’s not something the city can handle on its own.

“We’re working diligently with the fire department to obtain funding through FEMA at the federal level and through various state level grants,” Guzzo said. “We have an amazing volunteer fire department, and the safety of our firefighters and our citizens is of paramount importance. That’s why we’re working hard to obtain funding for a new truck or repairs of this truck.”

Saliba said a used truck is not a realistic option.

“It’s hard to know what you’re getting when talking about an aerial device,” he said. “If you don’t know where it came from, you have no clue at all what you’re getting.”

In addition to costing significantly more, getting a new aerial ladder truck also could take considerably more time. While the current truck was ordered in May 1997 and delivered in June 1998, Saliba said a new one could take 18 months to 30 months to arrive.

If an aerial ladder is needed before New Kensington’s is back in service, Saliba said New Kensington can seek help from departments in Arnold, Tarentum, Upper Burrell, Springdale and Oakmont.

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