Tampa Fire Rescue's New Ladder Truck Dinged

TAMPA The coming out party for a brand new Tampa Fire Rescue tiller truck was spoiled this week when a couple of retired firefighters - including former fire Chief Pete Botto - hopped into the $886,000 truck and jackknifed it, causing about $5,800 damage.

"As far as I can tell in driving it," Botto said this afternoon, "you used to be able to swing the old tillers out wide. These don't swing out the way the others did." He said he might have jumped the gun in hopping into the cab and taking off.

"We were just so gung-ho to get out there and drive it," he said.

He said one of the last times he drove a tiller truck was the day it snowed in Tampa, in January 1977. "They were a little different back then," he said. "This one not set up the way the old ones were."

The new truck is "smoother in a lot of ways, but I remember a tiller ladder we used to drive, you could take that son of a gun in all directions. We took them on these old streets. We had to turn those things into pretzels to get them in and set up."

Still, the new truck with its Tampa Bay Buccaneers lettering and red and pewter color scheme is something to see.

"I'll tell you, it is a beautiful truck," he said. "You don't know how awful I feel."

Fire rescue Capt. Bill Wade said the department likely will have to pay for the damage, which is mostly cosmetic body work. Initial reports that it would cost $7,500 to fix were overstated, Wade said. The manufacturer assessed the damage Wednesday and lowered the estimate, he said.

Wade said the event Tuesday was set up to host retirees who had driven tiller trucks years ago, get them to reminisce about the old days and give pointers on how to drive the unique vehicle, which is has steering mechanisms in the front and back.

"The city of Tampa has not had a tiller truck for more than 15 years," Wade said.

He said the secondary purpose of the luncheon was to "allow retirees to see the truck, maybe talk some of the young guys and build good relations."

The retirees knew they were going to get to drive the new truck, but the plan was for a working firefighter to drive the tractor, and the retiree drive the rear of the truck. The course was a wide open training course the size of two football fields, Wade said.

Botto and the unidentified captain both had driven tiller trucks in the past, Wade said. Unfortunately, "They did not know the unique operations of this modern tiller truck."

With Botto, who retired 2003, at the rear steering wheel, the 55-foot-long vehicle backed up, going less than 10 mph, and jackknifed, he said.

Wade said the department will continue to use the truck for training for the next several weeks and then send it back to the manufacturer in Bradenton where it will be repaired. No critical equipment on the truck was damaged, he said.

It is the city's policy that only city employees drive city vehicles, Wade said, and technically, having retirees in both the front and back could be a violation of that policy.

The rear was where the retirees were supposed to be, he said, not in the front.

The rear driver "is not truly driving the vehicle," Wade said. Plus the truck never left the training field. "This was as low risk as possible," he said.

Firefighter Jace Kohan, who was at the course Tuesday, said the matter was investigated and a report written by the training officer. The conclusion was the damage was accidental, he said.

"There is always an investigation with every accident," he said, whether it occurs on the street or on the training course.

The tiller truck is more maneuverable and able to fit into tighter spaces than the ladder trucks the department uses. Its ladder can extend 100 feet, the same length as other ladder trucks in use.

The truck will be at the department's downtown fire station but won't be put into service until about 35 firefighters are trained to drive the rear portion.