A Nashville fire department was fighting a large apartment fire using a reserve fire truck while the main truck was out of service for maintenance. During the fire, the reserve truck's aerial water attachment fell off and needed repair, leading to concerns of proper preventive maintenance practices at the department.
Due to the attachment failure, a third truck had to be dispatched to the fire in order to put it out, WMC Action News 5 reported.
Mark Young, the Nashville Fire Fighter's Association's union president, told WMC there is a lack of maintained reserve trucks in Nashville.
"And there's no reason for the men and women of the department to be riding around in this type equipment," Young told WMC. "It's very dangerous."
The department said it recently put two aerial ladder trucks into service, and there are two more on the way, with delivery expected by mid October.
“...The Nashville Fire Department, just like every fire department, will have instances when apparatus requires repairs," Director Chief William Swann said in a statement to News4. "The fact we have reserve units available shows our close working relationship with fleet management and third party vendors. This relationship allows NFD to not only address maintenance issues but make sure the department has reserve apparatus when we need to address maintenance issues.”
