Sanford (NC) FD Down Two Ladder Trucks, Looking for Replacement

Source: Sanford Fire Department Facebook page.
Source: Sanford Fire Department Facebook page.

Caleb M. Soptelean
The Sanford Herald, N.C.
(TNS)

Jan. 16—After its No. 1 ladder truck was involved in a crash on Dec. 19, 2024 when someone ran into the front end, the Sanford Fire Department is looking for yet another truck.

During a city council work session on Tuesday, Fire Chief Matt Arnold said the city is in a somewhat precarious situation.

The city took delivery last year of a 2008 ladder truck that will now be pressed into duty as the city’s No. 1 truck, which was built in 2000, but now it will be out indefinitely due to repairs. Arnold said parts will have to be manufactured for that truck since the parts aren’t made anymore.

“It’s going to be out for a long time,” he said.

Arnold didn’t have an easy answer to the problem, noting that there is currently no new or late model truck readily available to purchase. However, he believes that some late model trucks will be coming for sale this month and next, and he wants to be prepared to buy one when the time comes. He notes that the city would have to make a deposit within 24 hours when purchasing a truck.

Assistant City Manager Beth Kelly said a budget item will be placed on the council’s Jan. 21 agenda to approve funding for the fire truck to be purchased.

Arnold, who said he hired on with the city in 2003, noted that, with the city’s backup fire truck pressed into duty full-time, the only backup the city has is a 1995 model.

A new truck can’t be delivered in a speedy fashion. A quicker solution is to purchase a truck that is two to four years old, and those run run about $650,000, Arnold said. They would be past the two-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, he said.

Although the city ordered a new ladder truck in March of 2023 for $1.75 million, it won’t be delivered until around December 2025, Arnold said previously.

© 2025 The Sanford Herald (Sanford, N.C.). Visit www.sanfordherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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