• Fire Department >
• About Us >
• Fire Houses and Apparatus >
• Lafayette Square >
• Ladder 3

Ladder 3

photo by jjg

2013 Pierce Ladder Truck, 105 ' Heavy Duty Rear Mount Aerial Ladder

History of Ladder # 3

Ladder Company #3 was organized on 2 April 1894 in a new house on Front Street opposite Main Street. (Front Street was later renamed Massachusetts Avenue.) Ladder 3 shared these quarters with Engine 2. The company ran with a new American LaFrance, horse-drawn, 75 foot Hayes aerial ladder truck.

In 1919 the former apparatus of Ladder 1, an 1890 ordinary ladder truck, was given to Ladder 3. The company was motorized in November of 1921 when a new American LaFrance, tractor-trailer, 85 foot aerial ladder was placed in service by the company. On 17 October 1935, Ladder 3 was involved a collision with Engine 2. As a result of this collision, the aerial was broken. The aerial was replaced with the 75 foot stick, formerly Ladder 1's. In October of 1938, a new 100 foot Pirsch, tractor-trailer was placed in service.

On 19 January 1963, the company placed in service a Pirsch tractor-trailer truck with a 100 foot aerial. On the 1st of July 1981, the 1963 truck was placed out of service. Truck 3 ran with various spare trucks until the 15th of June 1983 when a rebuilt truck was placed in service. The rebuilt truck consisted of Ladder 3's former tractor with Ladder 2's former trailer. The truck had been rebuilt by Continental Fire Apparatus.

Truck Company 3 placed a new Maxim 100 foot aerial tractor trailer truck in service on 5 April 1989. On the 7th of July 1994, a new Pierce Arrow rearmount 105 foot aerial ladder truck was placed in service by the company. The 1989 Maxim was reassigned to Truck 4.

For questions about Ladder Company #3, contact the captain of Ladder 3 here Here:

Historical information provided by Ed Morrissey

Ladder # 3 Statistics