In early February, Fire Station 69 received a new fire truck. Well, not exactly new, but it’s an upgrade from the truck it replaces.
The newcomer is one of four vehicles at Station 69 (Sunset at Carey) and is sometimes called a “hook and ladder,” according to Captain Tom Kitahata, because it carries the ladders. The station also has two engines and an ambulance. “Some of the busier stations get new rigs,” said Kitahata, “and then we get their hand-me-downs.” The “hand-me-down” is a 2006 fire truck from MacArthur Park-area Station 11, which in turn got a new truck.
Station 69’s previous fire truck was from 1996 and has been “retired” to the reserves as a replacement for trucks that break down, Kitahata said.
The “new” truck doesn’t look significantly different than the last one, Kitahata noted. “The layman will just see a fire truck.”
However, it does have a stronger engine, more compartment space and is “less beat up,” according to one of Station 69’s engineers.
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