Benjamin Joe
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
(TNS)
Apr. 2—Lockport Fire Department’s only ladder truck has been put out of commission temporarily, Fire Chief Luca Quagliano advised the Fire Board of Commissioners during their Tuesday meeting.
According to Quagliano, during routine maintenance at the city garage, the wrong kind of hydraulic fluid was put into the apparatus, and that corroded the seals on several cylinders. The estimated cost to repair the cylinders is upwards of $70,000 and the ladder truck will be out of service until early June.
Mayor John Lombardi III, who attended the fire board meeting, suggested the repair job go to a “specialized” shop.
“The mistake was not intentional by any means, but the knowledge you need to work on fire equipment (means the work) should be put out to those who not only can get it done right, but get it turned around so we get it back into service. It should be a priority wherever it goes,” Lombardi said.
The mayor said he would accompany Quagliano and try to “negotiate for the best possible contract” with an outside mechanic service.
He added that he would encourage routine preventative maintenance of the ladder truck going forward.
Charles Morello, fire board president and a retired Lockport firefighter, said when he was a member of the department, all fire trucks were sent to outside mechanics for repairs.
Fire board member John Craig, 1st Ward alderman, noted that during his time in the Navy, equipment was maintained routinely.
While the ladder truck is out of service, Quagliano said, LFD will seek to borrow one from Niagara Falls Fire Department, “to keep us covered” in case a ladder truck is needed to respond to an emergency at one of the few high-rise buildings in Lockport.
Lombardi said he intends to put a line item for repairs in the fire department’s 2025 budget.
The fire board’s recommendation to the Common Council’s finance committee is to seek an outside contractor for repair of the ladder truck.
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