What can one of the biggest firetrucks really do? Firefighters from Station 110 attempted to answer this question during a demonstration of their newly acquired tiller truck on Sept. 12, before the weekly city council meeting. 

Station 110 is part of the Unified Fire Authority (UFA), which provides fire-related services to the Greater Salt Lake Area. UFA has purchased five Rosenbauer Tractor-Drawn Aerial (TDA) Tiller trucks. TDAs have “highly specialized turntable ladders mounted on a semi-trailer truck….Ladder trucks are by necessity rather long and tiller trucks are far more maneuverable than traditional commercial trucks of similar length.” 

“It’s a really amazing machine,” Cottonwood Heights Assistant City Manager Bryce Haderlie said while watching the fire crew demonstrate the functions of the truck.

A TDA Tiller is much larger than many emergency vehicles; it’s extremely tall and long, requiring stabilizers to be grounded before use. The ladder on this TDA can stretch up to 100 feet. At the end of the 100 feet, the ladder is equipped with a hose, which is operated remotely from an engineer on the ground. The hose can spray water up to 94 feet. 

The tower of the TDA can hold up to 500 pounds during a rescue. The truck is also equipped with a 300-gallon water tank and a rear steering wheel to aid with maneuvering in tight spaces. Generally, this Tiller costs about $900,000. 

The TDA being demonstrated was painted with the designation ML-110. ML refers to the ladder type, which lets other first responders know that this apparatus has at least two accompanying paramedics. The number 110 refers to its home station, so other first responders can identify where the truck came from. 

The fire crew demonstrated the capabilities of this machine, showing how they could rescue from atop City Hall and from the small gully adjacent to it. The entire demonstration was completed under the proud gaze of UFA’s Assistant Chief Mike Watson and Battalion Chief Ross Fowlks. 

A few residents showed up to watch the demonstration along with the city council members. Many staff members from inside City Hall poked their heads out to watch as well, including Event Coordinator Ann Eatchel and Public Works Director Matt Shipp. 

“This is really fun, isn’t it?” Watson said. “Definitely better than sitting in an office.” 

Additional crew members arrived in the middle of the demonstration, after returning from a call. Within that crew was a high school intern who has been trying to decide which leg of first responding she wants to go into: firefighting or police work. The firefighters are determined to keep her around. 

This TDA Tiller is the first to be in service out of the five UFA has purchased. The next one to be in service will be in Magna, along with other various locations throughout the Salt Lake area. 

Other entities, cities and townships that make up UFA include the Copperton Township, Eagle Mountain City, the Emigration Township, Herriman City, Kearns Township, Magna Township, Midvale City, Riverton City, Taylorsville City, White City Township, Draper City, Cottonwood Heights City, Holladay City, Town of Alta and the Unincorporated Salt Lake County area. 

Within these areas, there are 29 stations and five additional facilities. Two of those are located within Cottonwood Heights; Station 110 is located on 1790 Fort Union Blvd., just up the street from Mountview Park, and Station 116 is located on 8303 Wasatch Blvd, adjacent to Golden Hills Park.