The quint that will be purchased with the grant money is a multifunctional ladder truck, Koepp said. It will replace a 1990 quint that has mechanical and structural issues, according to Krotche. The truck is needed for the city to keep its ISO rating, which affects insurance rates in the city, and to give firefighters the tools they need when they have to fight a fire from a higher elevation.

The fire truck saga begins in 1946 when the Beaverton Fire Department purchased a 1946 Darley fire engine. The engine remained in service until 2002 when a new truck was purchased from Circle K, which had been a Darley dealer since 1993. Founded by Al Kloha in 1986, Circle K took the 1946 engine as a trade-in for the new one.

"Of course, Pops (Al) wanted to keep it," said son, Ron, who now owns the business. "It was in service right up until the day it was replaced in 2002. It has had many years of wear and tear on it."

Personnel with the Arkansas Emergency Transport Ambulance were transporting the woman from Paragould to a Little Rock mental health facility. 

A firefighter was sitting on the back of Engine 2 inside the 114-year-old station July 17 when he heard a snap and felt the truck move, according to Deputy Fire Chief Jim Nolan. More snapping noises were heard the next day and firefighters noticed a dip in the concrete floor when the engine was moved outside.

Concrete pieces were also found in the basement and the station was immediately closed July 19.

A structural engineer from McBrie LLC inspected the station July 27 and confirmed the floor had completely failed. The engineer recommended the truck bays not be used for vehicle storage until the floor slab was either replaced or reinforced with steel beams and waterproofed.