Shawnee Fire Department puts new $1.2 million aerial ladder truck into service

The Shawnee Fire Department officially welcomed a new team member this past Sunday: a $1.2 million aerial ladder truck.

The truck, a custom-built 2019 Pierce Velocity tractor-drawn aerial, will be known as Ladder 71. A tractor-drawn aerial which is often called a tiller in the fire service has an articulating center which allows it to bend, much like a tractor-trailer.

Fire Chief John Mattox says the new tiller is 64 feet in overall length and carries an aerial ladder which fully extends to 107 feet.

(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)