CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Carthage Fire Department has received a new aerial ladder truck, replacing a 1998 apparatus that remained in service eight years beyond the city’s original replacement target.
The new 2026 E-ONE Typhoon HP 75 arrived in Carthage on Nov. 4, just in time for a scheduled fire drill at Mark Twain Elementary School. Second- and third-grade students had an opportunity to see the department’s newest truck during the afternoon drill.
The previous ladder truck was a 1998 Freightliner commercial-cab apparatus manufactured by Central States Apparatus. It had served the department for 28 years.
The city originally planned to replace the truck in 2018 under its capital equipment replacement plan, which generally targets a 20-year service life for heavy fire apparatus. Rising manufacturing costs, extended production wait times and additional delays during the pandemic pushed the replacement back.
The need for a new truck was discussed in March 2025, when Fire Chief Jason Martin noted that the existing apparatus was 27 years old.
The city was able to include the replacement in its current budget by purchasing a truck that was already in production. That approach also allowed the department to customize several features during the manufacturing process to better meet its operational needs.
Although the new apparatus provides essentially the same aerial service capacity as its predecessor, it offers improvements in maneuverability, maintenance and personnel capacity.
One significant change is the truck’s single rear axle design, which provides a tighter turning radius and makes it easier to navigate city streets and confined spaces.
The new truck can accommodate up to six firefighters, compared with four on the previous apparatus.
The E-ONE Typhoon has a 75-foot aerial ladder with a listed vertical reach of 75 feet and a horizontal reach of 67.8 feet. Its maximum safe horizontal load is 500 pounds. The truck measures 37 feet, 1 inch long and 11 feet, 4 inches high.
The truck has not yet entered service. The department is obtaining additional equipment needed to fully outfit the apparatus, and it will be placed into service after the equipment is received and installed.
The purchase also involved a lease-purchase financing arrangement. On Oct. 13, the City Council approved an emergency ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute a term sheet with Bank of America for the purchase of the 2026 E-ONE ladder truck and a 2027 International MV dump truck with a snowplow package for the Street Department. The financing was structured as an additional equipment schedule under an existing master lease-purchase agreement between the city and the bank.
The new ladder truck will have additional public appearances before entering regular service, including the Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 14 and the Christmas Parade on Dec. 7.
