Guthrie Fire Department without ladder truck; City turns to sales tax proposal

The City of Guthrie is proposing a 3/4 cent, 15 year sales tax to be dedicated for capital improvement projects on Feb. 9. Near the top of the list would be a ladder truck for the Guthrie Fire Department. Right now, the department operates without a ladder truck.

The fire department, which was one of the first fire departments established in Oklahoma during the land run, was forced to retire its 1991 65-foot ladder truck due to failing the certification testing required by national standards.

The out-of-service truck is now parked behind the Armory.

Fire Chief Eric Harlow says the hydraulic system on the truck is completely inoperable.

“Its full of leaks due to its age and the manufacturers parts are not available. If they were (parts), they were looking at a repair cost close to the actual value of the vehicle.”

Insurance requirements require the City to equip a ladder truck when they have buildings that stand at least three or more stories high, which several can be found in the downtown area as well as the resurgence of hotels built on the I-35 and Highway 33 corridor.

Harlow says the department has taken pride with their Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating of a four. The chief says less than 30 percent departments in the country have such a rating. The Guthrie station nearly drew a three rating, which is unique for Oklahoma standards.

The ISO rating is graded from one to 10. Class 1 generally represents superior property fire protection, and Class 10 indicates that the area’s protection doesn’t meet ISO’s minimum criteria.

Without a ladder truck, the ISO rating would likely increase to a minimum of five and possibly a six or seven. Harlow says in that case, homeowners and commercial owners could potentially see “sky-high” increases in their insurance rates

The City has laid out a 10-year plan to purchase an estimated $1,000,000 new ladder truck. Click here for a complete look at the proposed proposition.