Decorah's aerial ladder truck has a ladder that won't turn right

The City of Decorah will spend $29,000 to repair its fire department aerial ladder truck. Fire Department Chief Mike Ashbacher told the Decorah City Council on Monday night that the 75 foot ladder on the truck sometimes won't turn to the right. Fortunately, the problem has been an intermittent one, but Ashbacher is worried that it might come up during a fire call (which it hasn't done so far).

The fire department will send the aerial ladder truck to a repair company in the Twin Cities to have the hydro-electric swivel replaced. City Administrator Jerry Freund said it was "enormously important" to get the fire truck fixed, while Ashbacher concluded, "I don't think Decorah could be without that particular piece of equipment."