The total cost of the project is estimated at $582,139 when factoring in engineering and inspection costs. The county is also budgeting a $20,000 contingency fund should any unforeseen problems arise during the construction project that could incur more costs. The county will provide in-house the new station’s septic system, well, painting, kitchen cabinets and counters, and concrete.  

“I want to thank you all for the vote on the fire station,” said Morgan County Fire Chief Jeff Stone to the BOC in June. “This has been in process for the last six to nine years. It’s good to finally see this come along. We are excited to see it moving forward and we all appreciate you for making it happen.”

Based on a three-year plan, five firefighter positions would be added each year over three years.  

"It benefits us as far as training, once we get that new crew we can use an additional truck for our training which allows us to train the same way we fight fires with four trucks," said Capt. Joy. "Right now, we're limited to training with three trucks when it comes to training for structure fires."

For the firefighters who call Fire Station Five home now, and for those who will in the future, a new space is welcome.

The firefighter got the rest of his crew and they went outside to find a “man starting to walk away, covered in blood,” Lillie said. The man had cuts on his arms, presumably from smashing the front window.  

“Based on the severity of the cuts on his arm, we are assuming he smashed it with arms and hands,” Lillie said.

The truck, a 199 Smeal 105-foot ladder, was on its way to North Haven, Conn. for repairs and was being driven by an employee of the repair company, Duffey said. The employee suffered an apparent medical emergency about 4 p.m. Wednesday on Route 18 near 1218 Main St. in Weymouth.  

The truck went off the road and struck a utility pole, he said. No other vehicles were involved and the driver was the only occupant of the ladder tuck.

It took more than five years of digging and researching, and the help of people on Facebook, to track at least some of the path of the truck. Local officials finally located it in March, in Josephine, Texas.  

The years away from home are showing on the truck, which is nearly 71 years old. But that's something a local non-profit group wants to change.

The originally pearl white truck was manufactured by the Central Fire Company in St. Louis. It was purchased for $8,681 and was the first check written on the fire department's account, dated Dec. 23, 1947, said Joe Vogt, a firefighter who poured hundreds of hours into finding the truck.