A new fire truck should be arriving in Foley in about one month and work is starting on a second vehicle.

Foley Fire Chief Joey Darby said the new pumper should be in service in the next few weeks. He said the arrival is ahead of the completion time for most units.

"We anticipate that within the next month, it will be on the road to Alabama," he said. "We're very fortunate that it's come together. All new trucks are being quoted anywhere from two to four years. This one we've had on order I guess for about 19 months and some change."

Darby said the new truck would be a major asset for the department.

"I was very impressed with the quality of it," Darby said. "I think we're going to see a noticeable difference. We've got a very up-to-date fleet as it is, but this is going to take us to another level, so we're very proud of that."

The chief said the city also has a ladder truck on order. The truck will allow the department to fight fires in high-rise structures or to spray burning buildings from above.

"This is a 78-foot ladder, so if it were in close proximity, you've got to get close enough to get the angle right, you're looking at between a seven and eight-story building depending on the setup," Darby said.

The department has one ladder truck, but the new vehicle will be more maneuverable.

"The advantage of this kind of truck is, it's on a smaller chassis so it can operate as a pumper and you're using that elevation to put out big fires from what we call an elevated stream," Darby said. "We have that capability now with our main truck downtown, our ladder truck downtown, but that truck is so large, it's hard to be maneuverable in a lot of places."

The new ladder truck will also have features that will improve firefighter safety.

"We got to demo some equipment while we were there as it was coming off the line," Darby said. "The technology that they use makes the equipment more functional, but it also makes our firefighters safer. We were very impressed by that and it will be a piece of equipment that will carry us far into the future."

He said the truck is expected to be completed within two years.