Rhode Island Fire Department Gets $683,451 to Buy New Ladder Truck

The Warwick Fire Department is getting a federal grant for $683,451 to help it buy a new aerial ladder truck.

The award was announced by Rhode Island U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin. Fire Chief Edmund Armstrong says the grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program represents 80 percent of the cost of a new ladder truck.

Officials say the new truck would replace a 23-year-old vehicle that was often taken out of service for repairs.

Mayor Scott Avedisian says it’s important for the department to have a full fleet of aerial ladder trucks because communities south of Warwick to the Connecticut border do not have a permanently-staffed ladder company.