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AAA's Donation To Help Detroit Inspect Fire Trucks

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - AAA Michigan has awarded $23,500 to the Detroit Public Safety Foundation to pay for the inspection of aerial ladders and ground ladders used by the Detroit Fire Department.

The ladder inspections are required to keep DFD equipment in compliance with standards of the National Fire Protection Association. Mayor Dave Bing's office said inspections will include 20 aerial ladders and 4,600 feet of ground ladders.

"Once again, one of Detroit's corporate citizens has come forward and generously shown its support for our public safety operations, our first responders and our citizens," Bing said. "I appreciate the leadership and continued concern for public safety that AAA has demonstrated with this gift."

AAA Michigan President Steve Wagner said in a statement the donation is part of nearly a century of community support by the auto club.

"We are very pleased to present the Detroit Fire Department with this grant, which we know will help save lives," Wagner said.

In February, officials said Detroit firefighters wouldn't be allowed on hydraulic ladders on aerial trucks unless there was an immediate threat to life. The fire department said that was because the trucks hadn't undergone safety inspections for years.

"Aerial ladders can place firefighters 100 feet above ground, often with large amounts of water flowing under high pressure," Fire Commissioner Don Austin said. "Because of the tremendous stress placed on ladders, regular testing is needed to find the smallest stress fractures and metal fatigue. Completing the testing of our aerial and ground ladders will go a long way toward ensuring the safety of Detroit's citizens and firefighters."

TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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