I guess we shoulda leased away Belle Isle!Detroit firefighters ordered off ladders on aerial trucks; fleet hasn't been inspected in years

THE DETROIT FREE PRESS FEB. 4, 2013

Detroit firefighters will not be allowed on the hydraulic ladders on the department's fleet of aerial trucks unless there is an "immediate threat to life" because the trucks haven't undergone safety inspections for years.

Fire Commissioner Donald Austin said firefighters will not be allowed on the ladders during water tower operations until the needed inspections are done.

Austin said the impact on fighting fires will be minimal, but the head of the firefighters union disagreed.

"What this means is, it greatly complicates our work, and it really makes it difficult for any fire that's over a couple stories high," said Dan McNamara, president of the Detroit firefighters union. "It minimizes our ability to put the fire out and also minimizes us to be safe as we're doing ventilation and rescue operations."

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