The Jaws of Life, special cutting and prying tools and a huge ladder truck are just some of the equipment used by the Yakima Fire Department to help save people in various situations.

Capt. Tom Schneider says the departments' ladder truck helped save a man on top of the federal courthouse on Monday.

With a community of this size with the kinds of risks we have out there we can’t ignore that these low frequency high risk things happen.

Schneider says specialized equipment like the ladder truck that can reach 100 feet into the air is very expensive but very important to maintaining a safe community.

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