PHOTO - Yakima firefighter Andrey Belza likes riding in the back of the department’s ladder truck. Way back.
How far back? Nearly 62 feet from the front seat.
As one of the department’s tiller drivers, he’s responsible for steering the back end of the department’s biggest truck. How big? Well, consider this: The front driver might be westbound on one street, while Belza could still be northbound on another street preparing to make the turn west.
“I don’t think there’s a single (firefighter) who doesn’t like to till,” Belza said.
The truck has been part of the Yakima Fire Department’s fleet for nearly seven years, providing a long reach with its 103-foot ladder as well as entertaining crowds in parades as it glides nearly sideways down the street.