Calif. firefighters use 4th of July parade to fundraise

By Joy Juedes
The Redlands Daily Facts

REDLANDS, Calif. — Those out celebrating the Fourth of July got a look at the ladder truck the Redlands Fire Department is raising funds to replace.

The department's 1975 Crown ladder truck was at the Fourth of July parade Monday morning, and the truck was on display at the Packinghouse church's picnic after the parade. Firefighters extended the 100-foot ladder into the air at the church.

About 10 Fire Explorers collected donations for the truck in red, white and blue painted buckets at Sylvan Park, the church and the University of Redlands Ted Runner Stadium. The department has raised about $45,000 of the $160,000 needed to replace the truck, the rest of which is covered by a $636,000 federal grant.

"They'll be out in force," said Fire Chief Jeff Frazier, who drove a vehicle behind the ladder truck in the parade.

"They're going to hang around a little bit at the picnic they're going to be there going through the crowd tonight," he said. "We're hoping to collect some more cash there and hope to offset this matching fund requirement."

Explorers ran a booth next to the truck at the Packinghouse picnic. Explorer Ryan Lopez said Explorers split up to cover locations and events, and Frazier said they got a break at Fire Station 261 on Redlands Boulevard and Citrus Avenue, where the ladder truck is based.

Engineer Shawn Corbett said the truck is "difficult to work off of," especially because incidents require quick responses.

"Time is (of) the essence, especially by the time someone calls 9- 1-1, by the time we actually arrive in the scene, by the time we cut them out (of a vehicle), get them in the back of the ambulance," he said.

Everything is in compartments, and it takes two firefighters to remove what is needed, he said.

"Our newer (ladder) truck, we don't have to move anything, we just deploy lines, our tools, and go straight to work," he said. "Here we have to take the time and get everything set up.

"I pretty much get a workout every time I drive it," he said.

It can be trying, he said, "but we still have a standard we strive for."

The department is aiming to raise the $160,000 by theof the year. The 1975 truck serves on a reserve status, but is used in as many as 18 percent of emergencies, according to the ladder truck campaign website.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that fire departments should retire ladder trucks after 25 years, according to the website.

The front of this year's Redlands Fourth of July T-shirt also depicted the truck, and the Fourth of July Committee planned to donate to the ladder truck fund.

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