You’ve probably seen Tower 21 — the newest addition to Southborough’s fire-fighting fleet — cruising around town over the past few weeks. Most of those drives have been training exercises as the crew gets used to the new apparatus.
But Fire Chief John Mauro Jr. tells me that as of 3:00 pm yesterday, the truck officially went into service. It’s the culmination of a more than 3-year-long effort to bring the new ladder truck to town. Here’s a recap of the timeline.
November 2007 — Southborough’s only ladder truck (Ladder 26) is permanently pulled from service due to mechanical issues
September 2008 — Ladder truck committee presents its report to the Board of Selectmen and recommends the purchase of combination ladder-pumper truck called a quint.
March 7, 2009 — Fire Ball raises $83K in donations to help fund the purchase of a new ladder truck
September 29, 2009 — Voters at a special fall town meeting approve the purchase of a new ladder truck at the cost of $852K, to be funded through money from the town’s stabilization fund, loans, and private donations.
December 2009 — Construction on the new ladder truck begins at a plant in Nebraska
September 2010 — Construction complete
October 11, 2010 — Tower 21 makes its debut in the Heritage Day parade. The town officially takes possession of the truck a few days later and begins two months of training on the apparatus.
December 20, 2010 — Tower 21 placed into service
