Jan 12, 2009 7:42 pm US/Eastern
Brake Problems Found On Another Fire Truck
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
In the wake of last week's deadly crash, the Boston Fire Department began looking over all fire trucks Monday and quickly pulled one of them off the road.
LADDER 14 BRAKE ISSUE
Ladder 14 in Allston was taken out of service this morning after a brake issue was found to be affecting its performance. "We are going to put it out of service," said Boston Fire Department Spokesperson Steve MacDonald. "The purpose of this is to check all the apparatus and make sure it is safe for the firefighters."
"We are an outside set of eyes, so hopefully we can catch anything or catch something before something else happens," said said suspension specialist Bob Giampa.
The inspections were ordered by Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser after a ladder truck slammed into a high-rise building last Friday, killing Lieutenant Kevin Kelley. Three other firefighters were hurt.
AGING FLEET
It's believed the truck's brakes failed just before the crash. The vehicle was 14-years old.
A truck involved in a crash Sunday on Mass. Ave. was 19-years old.
The ladder truck pulled out of service Monday was built in 1993.
The oldest truck in the Boston Fire Department's fleet, a ladder truck, dates back to 1992. The oldest reserve truck dates back to 1986.
The firefighters union has blasted the department for failing to replace aging trucks. It wants the state to conduct an independent inspection of all the city's fire trucks.
NEW TRUCKS & MAINTENANCE
Fraser told WBZ Monday that over the past two years, the department has bought several new trucks and doubled the amount of money they spend on maintenance. "We do have some older pieces of apparatus, we are looking to replace them." he said.
"In the meantime, we're not scrimping on repairs."
The fire department says they do perform basic daily inspections on all their trucks. At the end of the ordered inspections, 57 trucks will go through the brake safety checks, which is expected to take two weeks.
FUNERAL ARRAIGNMENTS
A wake for Lt. Kevin Kelley is scheduled for Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. at the Keohane Funeral Home at 785 Hancock St. in Quincy.
Kelley's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m. at St. Ann Church at 757 Hancock Street.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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