Hunt and his crew were in Wyoming Thursday to price out a new fire engine at the HME Ahrens-Foxplant on Chicago Drive. One of the company’s specialty products is the Type 3 Wildland Interface engine, jargon for a rig with special capabilities to take on severe conditions in often isolated areas amid wildfires.

"They're all-wheel drive. They have very high ground clearance. ... They can move and deploy water or foam while they're moving," HME President Jim Monterusso listed.

These days, Monterusso worries about his customers as much as the company's bottom line, especially when he turns on the TV and sees the fires rage in California. The wildfire in Northern California, referred to as the Camp Fire, is the deadliest in the state's history. 

HME has built hundreds of the special engines for fire department throughout California, including the state’s two main firefighting agencies, CAL Fire and the California Office of Emergency Services.

Two of the city’s reserve trucks are being retired and have been pressed into service when frontline trucks are down.

“One is a 1996 model and one is a 2000 model, they don’t meet current NFPA standards and we're experiencing out-of-service time with our fleet,” Pearce said. “The 1996 has over 105,000 miles on it and one’s a 2000 model with 127,000 miles on it. It’s hard to believe over 127,000 miles driving around the City of Orange Beach. That’s a lot of miles and they are hard miles. And that doesn’t even count the hours that the trucks have from sitting there idling when they’re operating at fire scenes and medical emergencies. If you were to actually calculate out the engine hours to useful miles it would be significantly more than that.

“They are well-used trucks and they’ve served us and the community well they are just past their prime.”

The department spent $45,000 for 45 vests and helmets. Since the vests will be shared, they adjust to fit each person. 

"We will not go into a hot or warm zone where there is known to be active shooting or some type of disturbance," explained Gillespie. "Like we have always done in Schenectady Fire Department, if there is a potential for domestic violence, we stage for local law enforcement to arrive on the scene to make sure that scene is safe."

A news conference was held Thursday afternoon at the Knoxville Fire Station to announce the $2,985 grant, nearly the maximum, awarded to the fire district by Compeer Financial of Monmouth.

Seven pairs of fire resistant and penetration-resistant gloves were bought as well as a calibration system for three electronic monitors that can read the levels of oxygen, carbon monoxide, flammables and other elements in a room.

“It’s certainly a need and allows our district and firefighters to serve better,” said Don Moffitt, a trustee of the fire protection district’s board.