Foley Ladder Truck With 78-Foot Aerial Nears Completion, Expected to Arrive in November

FOLEY, Ala. — A new Foley ladder truck ordered nearly three years ago is in the final stages of production at a factory in Minnesota, and city fire officials expect to bring it home to Baldwin County in early November.

Fire Chief Joey Darby updated Foley City Council members on the apparatus, which the city ordered in late 2023. The truck is being built at the Rosenbauer manufacturing facility in Minnesota and is expected to arrive in Foley this fall, adding a new aerial unit to the Foley Fire & Rescue Department fleet.

The truck is part of a broader slate of fire department investments that also includes the design of a new fire station, storm-hardening work at the city’s oldest station and a rebuilt training burn tower.

Foley ladder truck nears the finish line

Darby told council members the long wait is almost over.

“Our ladder truck is in final production, so we’re excited about that,” Darby said. “We’re on track for hopefully a completion date at the end of October, which means that we’ll have to make a trip up to Minnesota, hopefully early November, and see that truck arrive.”

That trip north is a typical step when a fire department takes delivery of a custom-built apparatus. Before a new truck is accepted, department representatives generally inspect it at the factory to make sure it was built to the agreed specifications.

According to Darby, large emergency vehicles such as ladder trucks can take as long as three years to manufacture and prepare for service. Foley’s order, placed in late 2023, fits that pattern: if the truck is finished at the end of October as hoped, close to three years will have passed between the order and completion.

What the new truck can do

The new apparatus is built to handle more than one job. It will carry a 78-foot aerial ladder along with its own water tank, pump, a full complement of fire hose and ground ladders.

That combination means the vehicle can operate either as a custom pumper — the engine company role of carrying water, pumping it and stretching hose lines to attack a fire — or as an aerial ladder truck, the role that puts firefighters and water streams up high for rescues and for fighting fires on upper floors and roofs.

Key features listed by the city include:

• A 78-foot aerial ladder
• An onboard water tank
• A fire pump
• A full complement of fire hose
• Ground ladders

Apparatus that combine pumping and aerial capabilities on one chassis give a department flexibility. A single crew arriving on such a truck can begin a fire attack with water from the tank and pump, or position the aerial device for rescue, ventilation or elevated master streams, depending on what the scene requires.

Cost and equipment purchases

The estimated final cost of the truck is $1.4 million.

Outfitting the truck is a separate expense. City Council members recently approved $84,137.92 for equipment for the new vehicle. The city had previously ordered about $40,000 in hydraulic rescue tools — the kind of powered cutting and spreading equipment firefighters use to free people trapped in vehicles after crashes.

Darby said the combined cost of those tools and equipment remains below the $150,000 the city budgeted for the purchases.

By the numbers

• $1.4 million: Estimated final cost of the ladder truck
• 78 feet: Length of the aerial ladder
• $84,137.92: Equipment purchase recently approved by the City Council
• About $40,000: Hydraulic rescue tools ordered earlier
• $150,000: Amount budgeted for tools and equipment; combined spending remains below it
• 4: Firefighters who will staff the truck at all times
• Up to 3 years: Time Darby said large apparatus can take to build and prepare for service

Where the truck will be stationed

Once placed into service, the ladder truck will be assigned to Fire Station No. 3. It will be staffed at all times by a crew of four firefighters.

Around-the-clock staffing means the truck will be ready to respond immediately rather than waiting for personnel to be pulled from other units. A four-person crew allows firefighters to split tasks on arrival, such as operating the aerial device and pump while others search, ventilate or stretch hose.

The city has not yet announced a specific date for the truck to enter service. After delivery, new apparatus typically need equipment mounted and crews trained on its operation before it begins answering calls.

Fire Station No. 4 in design

The ladder truck is one of several investments the city is making in Foley Fire Rescue facilities and equipment.

Plans are moving forward for Fire Station No. 4 on East Fern Avenue. The station is in the design phase now, with design work expected to be completed in March 2027. The city has not released a construction timeline or cost estimate for the station in the information presented to the council.

A fourth station would add to the department’s existing network of firehouses as Foley continues to grow. The city sits in southern Baldwin County along the Alabama 59 corridor that carries traffic toward Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, and it has been among the fast-growing communities in one of Alabama’s fastest-growing counties.

Storm hardening at Fire Station No. 1

Foley’s fiscal year 2027 budget, which took effect Oct. 1, includes funding for renovations and improvements at Fire Station No. 1.

That project will strengthen the building to better withstand high winds and storms, install a new roof system and begin preparations for a new exterior. For a coastal city in a hurricane-prone region, keeping fire stations operational through severe weather is critical, since firefighters and their equipment must be ready to respond both during and immediately after a storm.

Burn tower rebuild for training

The department is also working to renovate and rebuild its fire training facility burn tower during the current fiscal year.

Burn towers are structures designed to let firefighters practice in realistic conditions, including live fire, heavy smoke, search and rescue, and hose and ladder work on multiple floors. A rebuilt tower would give Foley crews a place to train on the kinds of multistory scenarios a new aerial truck is meant to handle.

What happens next

Here is the timeline as described by the fire chief and the city:

• Late 2023: City orders the ladder truck.
• Oct. 1, 2026: Fiscal year 2027 budget takes effect, including funding for Fire Station No. 1 improvements and the burn tower work planned this fiscal year.
• End of October 2026: Target completion date for the ladder truck at the Minnesota factory.
• Early November 2026: Planned trip to Minnesota by fire department representatives as the truck is readied for delivery.
• After arrival: Truck to be placed in service at Fire Station No. 3 with a four-firefighter crew.
• March 2027: Design work on Fire Station No. 4 on East Fern Avenue expected to be complete.

Why it matters to Foley residents

An aerial ladder truck gives firefighters reach that ground ladders and engines alone cannot provide, which matters for rescues and fire attack on taller buildings, large commercial structures and multistory residential properties. Because the new apparatus can also work as a pumper, it adds capability whether it is the first unit on scene or arriving to support other companies.

Together, the truck, the new station design, the storm-hardening of Station No. 1 and the burn tower project represent a coordinated effort by the city to strengthen fire protection and emergency response capabilities. Residents can follow progress on these projects through Foley City Council meetings, where department leaders periodically report on equipment and facilities.