President Dan Clark of the ESD Board of Commissioners took time to thank the developers of Santa Rita Ranch for the donation of land to build on.  

Horne was excited to see the project begin, saying Santa Rita was planned for 6,500 homes upon completion, with another 200 acres of multi-family and retail development.  

“That means that within this location right here, there will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000 people eventually living here in this area,” Horne said. “We’re building a future, and the future of that is being staked today to what we’re doing with the fire department and having this. These are the basics of what you’ve got to have when you’re in a community to service the people who are here. We are honored to be able to have the fire department and have you guys choose this site out here.”

The theft was discovered Saturday morning at Station 22 off Seminole Pratt Whitney Road.  

"This is how we document when we come to a scene come to your house, we input all of your information and then it uploads to our computer software and prints out a report for the hospital," said Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Captain Albert Borroto.

Borroto reassured WPTV no personal information was compromised.

"They had been shut off for a long enough time that there was no personal information that was accessible on the tablets. They were cleaned." Also taken, a fire fighter's bunker coat. "It was fire fighting bunker gear it is protective equipment for firefighters when we go into burning buildings."

No word on how much the stolen items are worth.

Every passing year on the force brings about change. Ask Assistant Fire Chief Steven Knorrek.  

"When I first started, we had a drive-thru bay on the side that's closest to City Hall, and that disappeared," remembers Knorrek.

Right now, the change is work on new fire bays and a driveway at the department.

The fire station's not the only place growing, with two major developments in downtown. One is the Bridges lofts right next to the fire station, and then the new Acentra Credit Union that will bring in new people and new jobs according to Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher.

"Firefighters are coming down with an aggressive form of cancer, and we just lost a firefighter to liver cancer, and it's tragic," Tesser said.  

The event was also about fire trucks, families enjoying music, food--and obstacle courses.

Visitors could take photos alongside a dozen fire trucks from different departments.

On Tuesday, Brank told the council the new engine was part of the department’s most recent “needs assessment” in January that identified a greater need for an engine than two new ambulances that were budgeted for purchase in the fiscal year 2018 spending plan.  

Brank told the Herald Wednesday the engine would join the department’s fleet of two aerial units, six front-line trucks and three back-up trucks. The engine would replace an older model at Fire Station No. 3 at 700 N. Twin Creek Drive.

The council will vote on approving the purchase through Houston-based Siddons-Martin Emergency Group as part of the city’s involvement in the Houston Houston-Galveston Area Council purchasing cooperative. Siddons-Martin submitted the lowest quote for the engine with a base price of $542,444 and an additional $44,556 for loose equipment.