Glendale donates fire ladder truck to Glendale Community College academy

Cadets at the Verdugo Fire Academy will soon get to practice life-saving skills on a 100-foot ladder truck.

The Glendale Fire Department on Monday donated the surplus 1990 Seagrave ladder truck to the Glendale Community College academy, which trains cadets for careers in the fire service.

The truck “reached the end of its service life” with the department and no longer had value on city books, according to a city report.

The truck would have required major and costly repairs if it had remained in service with the department, the report stated.

The vehicle, which carries a wide selection of equipment, will allow cadets to navigate tall buildings, ventilate rooftops and hone their firefighting skills from a ladder during a blaze or rescue, according to academy officials.

Cadets will also be able to test their ability to use a high-caliber water stream from the truck.

In 2009, the Fire Department donated two Class A engines to the academy.

The 1987 Pierce fire engines allowed cadets to learn how to pull hoses, use levers and measure pressure.

In the past, cadets borrowed the department’s reserve fire engines or used pieces of wood to replicate an engine.

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