Donation to Help Detroit Inspect Fire Trucks

AAA Michigan plans to donate $23,500 to pay for the inspection of aerial ladder trucks and ground ladders used by the Detroit Fire Department.

The money going to the Detroit Public Safety Foundation was announced Wednesday by Mayor Dave Bing. It’s the latest in a series of recent corporate donations in support of the cash-strapped city’s public safety operations.

Bing’s office says inspections will include 20 aerial ladders.

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

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.