High-rise rescues

are now a more viable option for Peachtree City firefighters now that

its new "tower" has been delivered.

Tower 8 is

a full-fledged fire truck with a platform that extends 104 feet in the

air and can hold 10 or more people. It also pumps up to 1,500 gallons

of water per minute, approximately 375 times the pressure of the typical

residential water faucet.

The tower reaches

29 feet further than the city's 19-year-old ladder truck. That may not

seem like much, but when life-or-death situations arise that 29 feet could

make a big difference if a fire ever broke out at an apartment complex

like the AMLI or Summit Apartments, which are both four stories tall.

"If we

ever need to rescue somebody, we have a much better chance with this,"

said Fire Chief Stony Lohr.

"We can

reach the roof of any building in the city," said Lt. Dave Williamson.

Firefighters

can also spray water from the tower platform, giving them a way to attack

major fires from the air when necessary. And those firefighters won't

need their oxygen canisters since the tower has its own breathing equipment

for them to use.

The tower truck

also contains "a lot of pipe," firefighting lingo for plenty

of water hose: 1,200 feet of 5-inch hose and 600 feet of 3-inch hose.

And there's more space to store rescue and fire equipment, including 147

feet in ground ladders ... another improvement over the older "ladder"

truck.

Custom features

added to the truck were designed to reduce the amount of maintenance,

such as the hydraulic electrical generator, which only needs a filter

change each year.

"We spec'd

it out to get the biggest bang for the buck," Williamson said.

The tower truck

is so sophisticated that it will take a 40-hour training course for firefighters

to become fully knowledgeable of its capabilities.

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