HOUGHTON – The Houghton City Council approved a USDA Rural Development loan for a new aerial fire truck.

The loan covers $462,000 of the cost of the 2015 Pierce truck, which costs $1,017,500. The truck has a 100-foot aerial platform.

“They’re a lot easier to work with, a lot safer for firefighters,” said Mayor Pro Tem Robert Megowen, a Fire Department member, contrasting it with the current ladder truck.

Paying off the loan will cost $38,000 a year. The loan has an interest rate of 2.75 percent.

The rest of the loan – $555,500 – will come from the city’s equipment fund.

Houghton Fire Chief Mike Reynolds said the truck has an expected life of 25 years. It has about 7,000 miles on it, he said.

“It was a demo,” he said. “There was still warranty on it.”

The department’s previous aerial, which it had had since 2009, dates back to 1986.

The council also approved a $94,554 bid from Five Alarm Safety for a self-contained breathing apparatus and emergency egress, for which the city had received a $92,000 Federal Emergency Management grant. The city must contribute $4,614, with FEMA paying the remainder.

Reynolds said the egress kit is a Kevlar harness attached to 25 feet of a fireproof strap that can be hooked outside the building in case the firefighter is trapped inside.

Wednesday the council also approved the purchase of a 2006 International four-wheel drive sander for $50,000, plus $4,000 shipping. The Department of Public Works found the sander in Colorado, where it was being used in a gated community that doens’t use salt.

The council also authorized the sale of its 1994 Chevrolet and 1990 Mack sanders, which could offset the price by as much as $20,000.