Oskaloosa Fire Department’s Aerial Apparatus Arrives

The Oskaloosa Fire Department took delivery of their aerial apparatus on Wednesday, May 9, 2018.
They will spend the coming days and weeks training on it.

Oskaloosa, Iowa- “It’s something we’ve needed for forty years,” said retired Fire Chief Frank Glandon.

The Oskaloosa Fire Department got their newest piece of firefighting equipment in on Wednesday afternoon. It was driven by a delivery company from Maryland to Oskaloosa.

Oskaloosa City Manager Michael Schrock was with the department as they looked over the truck shortly after its arrival. “The city is excited; the department is excited to have this important piece of equipment come into the community.”

Schrock noted the dependence the city of Oskaloosa has had in using neighboring communities aerial apparatus in times of need. “It’s been a long time coming. I’ve heard that from our staff and former employees that have worked here. It’s been one of those processes of taking time to study what was needed and eventually make a purchase. $300,000 for us versus what might be a million dollars otherwise.”

Unless there is a dire emergency, you won’t see the aerial truck responding to fires right away. Schrock said that the staff would take the time to be fully trained in the operation of the equipment before it’s deployed.

Oskaloosa Fire Chief Mark Neff said “It’s a much-needed piece of equipment for the firefighters to use.

Neff said the equipment could be used in multiple scenarios, including rescue situations, downtown fires, and ventilation tactics. ‘One thing a lot of people don’t think about, we service a rural area. If we have a grain bin or something like this, we have to tie off. We can take that [ladder] out and make it an anchor point, where we wouldn’t have had any resources like that in the past.”

Oskaloosa Fire Chief Mark Neff talks with former Oskaloosa Fire Chief Frank Glandon about the aerial apparatus that was just delivered to firefighters in Oskaloosa.

Neff said that he and his department want to make sure everything is operational before they deploy the aerial apparatus, which includes additional training from both Pella and Ottumwa Fire Departments who already have aerials in their inventory. “They’ve had one a lot longer than we’ve had. We can run it, but we want to become experts at it.”

The department had to wait for almost two extra months for the new equipment to arrive, as different delivery options had difficulties with the large piece of equipment.

Neff invited anyone that wants to take a look at the new truck to stop by the station. “Once we become proficient at it, we’ll probably be giving some rides.”