Justin Ide, a firefighter, said the air packs are a lifeline for firefighters. He said the new air packs are a big upgrade from the ones used before. They have new safety features and an attached bail out kit.  

Ide said the bail out kits are critical for the firefighters, who can use them to escape burning buildings through windows if a ladder or traditional exit isn't available.  

"Any time we're above the first or second floor, if you're fighting a fire, and you have no other way out, it's important to be able to have this feature," Ide said.  

The new air packs also have other safety upgrades, including redesigned face-pieces with a wider field of view, an improved display showing air levels and power and better communication.

"The commanding officer can see on a computer screen what a firefighter's air level is," Ide said, "if they've hit a button that says they're in distress."

Joe Hall, operations and business director with McCormack Construction Co., told the Pendleton City Council during its work session Tuesday night the goal is to get the approval for occupancy before Pendleton Whisky Musical Fest on July 13.  

Achieving that is “going to be under the wire,” he said, but looks good for an OK by July 10. Pendleton voters passed a $10 million bond in 2017 to primarily build the new station at 1455 S.E. Court Ave., and the city hired McCormack as the general contractor and construction manager.

Bob Patterson, city public works director, told the council the total project budget now stands at more than $9.4 million and there’s roughly $266,000 available to date.

The fire was apparently not completely extinguished after the demonstration, and reignited Wednesday morning.  

Around 4:15 Wednesday morning, a Quincy Police officer was driving by the fire station, and noticed the fire.The fire was contained to the demonstration trailer, but the fire did damage the car in which the trailer was attached.

“We borrowed some money to pay for that fire truck,” Radtke said. “At this point in time, that loan is almost paid in full. It’s time to probably purchase another fire truck that the chief would like to purchase. This gets us on record with them so that we can get allocated in their production schedule.”  

Fire chief Jeff King said it stops the price increase. He said the price has gone up 12 percent in five months because of tariffs on metal.

“With this execution letter, it stops that increase from going up,” King said. “We sign a commitment letter because it’s not in this year’s budget. It’s in next year’s budget. They are 15 to 18 months on even building the truck. This way we can get into the rotation. Next year at this time, we’ll be able to put that into the budget.”