Port Arthur firefighters to try to revive old ladder truck
Published 9:28 am Thursday, February 28, 2019
By Ken Stickney
Port Arthur firefighters hope to breathe new life into an old machine — a 1948 ladder truck that’s been mothballed for years.
The Port Arthur City Council this week helped the process along, transferring control of the American LaFrance aerial fire truck to the local firefighters union — International Association of Fire Firefighters Local 397. The vote at Tuesday’s council meeting was unanimous.
Fire Department Capt. Mercer Nessour said the truck had been kept at Station 2 for a long time and the city had considered putting the vehicle — it is not running — up for auction. The value of the vehicle is not known.
Union members decided they’d like to refurbish and use the vehicle for department or public events: in parades, at funerals, for education and for doing fire prevention.
“It would stay in the city,” said Chief Larry Richard. He said he has been with the fire department since 1981; the truck has not been in service since before that time, he said.
Nessour said firefighters have reviewed all sorts of options for the truck, including using it as an exhibit. He said union members have discussed possibilities with Tom Neal, the director of the Museum of the Gulf Coast.
The cost of refurbishing the vehicle is unknown. Nessour said firefighters would store the vehicle themselves and seek expert advice on getting costs for repair. On Wednesday morning, the vehicle was stored at the city facilities on Highway 73.
City Attorney Val Tizeno said the City Council could transfer the vehicle to the union while retaining “sufficient control” over the vehicle, which must be used for a public purpose. The city could gain a benefit by letting the union keep the vehicle, she said, because it would be used for public events and other public purposes.
