Skyland Fire Rescue

ASHEVILLE – Here are two not so great photos I took sometime in the 1980s at Buncombe County’s Skyland Fire Rescue. These were taken at their old fire station.

I remember seeing Ladder 1 as a kid going to Asheville. I’m not sure when they acquired it, and when it was disposed of, but it for sure is one of the most unusual aerials to ever serve in North Carolina.

It was an Oshkosh crane chassis with a Grumman body and a LTI rear mount aerial. The unit did have a pump as well. Note that the ladders are mounted horizontally on the truck.

I’m not sure why such a low profile was required. Hopefully some of our readers in the western corners of the state can help fill in the blanks. Please forward any better photos of this unit if you have them.

I’ve always been a fan of white apparatus, and this was truly one of the coolest ever in NC.

Update

Thanks to Scott Morrison via Facebook for this update. Here’s a more recent photo of the rig. Click the thumbnail above. It is now privately owned in New York State.

It left Skyland and went to Abingdon, Virginia.

In addition to being a Oshkosh/Grumman/LTI, it also carries a Howe nameplate. It is labeled as a 1979 unit.