Peachtree City gets a deal on a fire truck

Peachtree City’s search for a new ladder truck for its fire fleet has ended in a relative bargain. Fire Chief Joe O’Conor asked for and received authorization from the City Council on Oct. 1 to buy a KME Aerialcat Tower/Ladder truck for $1.13 million. The purchase was initially approved three years ago as SPLOST project 32 in the city’s budget.

O’Conor said the truck is “a good value for the city” because it was built in 2019 and used as a demonstration model; now that it has nearly 19,000 miles on it, Fire Line Inc. of Winder offered the truck as surplus “at a price below what it would cost to construct with all original warranties in effect.”

O’Conor said the fire department staff did an extensive search to find a truck that could easily maneuver among the city’s many cul-de-sacs. The new model will replace an existing ladder truck that was built in 2001.