Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton City of Warren Fire crews quickly got to work cleaning the aerial apparatus they will be using until the city’s new tower truck is delivered in a few months.

The City of Warren Fire Department has a functioning aerial fire truck.

A loaner truck was delivered to the department on Tuesday morning. The new truck the city has purchased won’t be delivered for a few months.

But, in the interim, the department has a functional apparatus and Fire Chief Rodney Wren said it will take a few days to get staff up to speed on how to operate it.

Structurally, the most significant change is where the tower mounts on the truck. The ladder mounted on the back of the old truck and mounts in the middle on the new. Wren explained that offers more reach when in use.

The process of bringing crews up to speed on the truck could take as little as three days, he explained.

“We don’t want to throw the guys straight out on the street with it,” he said.

While the truck has the same capabilities the city had previously, the displays and controls are “set up a bit differently,” he said. “It’s a matter of the guys being familiar… make sure the guys are comfortable with it.”

Obtaining a new piece of equipment like this typically takes about a year. The department has compressed that down to several months.

“These guys have worked like crazy” to make it happen, Wren said, “to pull this off and make it go together.”