Begovich says the new department will replace the one on the northeast side of the township on U.S. 40. The former station was built in the 1970's, solely as a volunteer station, and didn't take into account future growth of the department or the area, he said.  

The former station also featured 10-foot tall bay doors, which are too short for modern day fire apparatuses.

The new station sits about a mile and a half west of the former station at 473 S 500 W in New Palestine. This location will allow for faster response times, according to Begovich.

It took the department nearly three years to acquire the truck, a process that involved dozens of meetings with other area fire departments to make sure everything was up to date, and surpassed the performance of its older trucks. Marcellino helped the department obtain a $100,000 grant from New York state, which was described to as a “great accomplishment” by Saladino.

Fire Chief Dan Morgan explained the purchase at the BOC work session at Honey Creek Elementary on May 15 after Post 1 Commissioner Sherri Washington asked about the average life expectancy of fire engines.  

“The life that is recommended is between 10-15 years,” Morgan said. “These are replacing two 1988 trucks, so we as a practice, we go far past the recommended life in Rockdale County. Our expected life span of these is between 20-30 years.”

Commission Chair Oz Nesbitt Sr. noted that it is important for citizens to hear why the county is spending money on new fire trucks.

“The million dollars that we’re spending on two trucks is critically important,” Nesbitt added. “Safety of all of the residents of Rockdale County is our number one concern.”

Each truck costs $530,611.85. One will be purchased through capital funds that were included in the 2017-2018 budget, and the second will be bought with SPLOST funds.