Leland Fire welcomes new state-of-the-art ladder truck

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — The town of Leland is celebrating a new state-of-the-art fire truck. 

On Thursday, town officials took part in a “push-in” ceremony for the town’s new ladder truck—a tradition when a new fire truck enters service. 

It’s the first truck of its kind in Brunswick County, and requires two drivers—one in the front, and one in the back. That allows the truck to maneuver in tight spaces where other trucks can’t. 

Fire Chief Ronnie Haynes says this truck will replace two others that are beyond their useful life. 

“Some people have said, you know, ‘Why do you need a truck that big?’ Well, we had to have a lot of space to carry all the equipment, and this means also, we don’t have to hire as many firefighters because with two trucks, you’d have to have double the staffing.” 

The town purchased the truck for $1.4 million in 2021. Haynes says that same truck now costs around $2.4 million.