Aerial exercises.

A Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services aerial ladder truck was doing exercises in the Point Pleasant Park lower parking lot this morning. The truck had its spreader legs out, but it was still at an odd angle from the front.

The truck is an American LaFrance (built when owned by Daimler/Freightliner) with LTI aerial ladder/tower. The usual apparatus number is painted on the cab: 02 for year, 305 for historical apparatus number, L for ladder. New to Halifax apparatus is the assignment number on a portable plate: Aerial 1. This means that it is the aerial assigned to station number 1 (West Street) , but can be changed when the unit is re-assigned, without re-painting.

Although classed as Ladder, she has a waterway on the ladder - see nozzle on the end- and full pumping gear.

Here is a predecessor American LaFrance, centre mounted aerial, wearing a "3" on the door signifying that it was based at Station 3 Morris Street (University Ave at Robie.) The photo was taken on Morris Street at the corner of Queen, after responding to an alarm at the Halifax Infirmary lab building in 1971 (seen in the background and since demolished.) The truck has no pump and no fixed waterway. Firemen would have to carry the hose up the ladder if needed.