It's hard to say for sure that you could get a fair assessment since peoples' lives are on the line. If the ladders are twice as much, but due to the peculiar

It's hard to say for sure that you could get a fair assessment since peoples' lives are on the line. If the ladders are twice as much, but due to the peculiar electrical and atmospheric (wind) conditions in SF, could it be argued that these ladders increase the safety of the firefighters? TCO would also have to be measured to be certain that this is worth it or not. If aluminum ladders are half as much, but last a quarter of the time… then it's arguable that the wooden ladders are cheaper.