For ladder trucks, the Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department has used an alternative vehicle for several years. It is called a ladder tender. The ladder tender is housed with the ladder truck, and it contains all the equipment carried on a ladder truck except for the aerial device and ground ladders. Neither the ladder nor the ladder tender has a pump or booster tank. When the ladder company is dispatched, the company officer decides which unit to take. The company does not respond as a two-piece company
