The Jackson Fire Department has a new fire truck.
The new "Tower 8" truck arrived on Tuesday and cost $1.1 million.
This is a ladder truck and the first one purchased by the department in 20 years.
The Deputy Director of Fire Services, David Wooden, said that this is a 20-year investment and it will greatly improve service to the community.
“We can put the bucket right up to a window of a house or a high rise, and people can either come out and go down the ladder, or we can rescue them and bring them down in the platform bucket itself,” Wooden said.
The department hopes to have Tower 8 in service in January once all crews are trained on how to use it.
“It will better fit our needs than the previous ladder. We want to give the community the best protection we can,” Wooden said.
He added that the new truck is also outfitted with the latest technology, and can pump up to 2,000 gallons of water per minute.
And the old truck, Ladder 1, will be going into reserve status once Tower 8 is ready for service.
