VIDEO: Providence Fire Truck Loses Two Wheels on Road
GoLocalProv News Team and Reynaldo Almonte for Latino Public Radio
VIDEO: Providence Fire Truck Loses Two Wheels on Road
Officials believe that bolts rotted away.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTLadder 2 was returning from a call to the Messer Street fire station when the wheels came off the rear of the truck.
"It just happened around 11:30 a.m.," said Providence firefighters union president Derek Silva. "They were returning from a call on Route 6, so they were driving back when they lost two of their rear tires."
"It's happened before," said Silva of trucks losing tires. "The bolts in the hubs are steel. If they're not replaced, they rot away -- the bolts shear off."
Silva had raised the issue of the age -- and safety -- of the fire department's fleet earlier this week.
READ: More Than 1/3 of Providence’s Fire Trucks Are Outdated: Union Head Raises Safety Concerns
"Ironically, this is not even one of the oldest [trucks]. But it has been a truck we've had problems with before, with body rot and electrical issues, including the brakes," said Silva.
"Minutes earlier they were on Route 6 -- god forbid they lost two tires on the highway," said Sliva.
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Silva raised his concerns in a letter to city officials — and on Monday, the Providence Fire Fighters took to social media to draw attention to the fact that 1/3 of Providence fire engines are 20 years old.
Moreover, the union goes on to state that 3/4 of the Providence Fire Department ladder trucks are 20 years old.
In Silva’s letter, he writes that there “are number of ideas and suggestions that the men and women of the fire department have in which we offer to the city so that a plan can be developed,” including utilizing a portion of the revenue created through emergency medical services and/or fire prevention, bolstering revenue streams created through hazardous materials response, or entering into a lease-to-own program.
This story was first published 2/6/20 12:51 PM