The fire truck made a wide turn going into a Shell gas station parking lot around 3:30 a.m. when the Jeep driver apparently was not watching traffic, and slammed into the side of the fire truck.

This firefighter wants to remain anonymous for fear of losing his job but wants the truth told. He hopes by sharing what's really going on inside, the department will bring change not only for his other brothers at the stations but for the safety of his city.

"It makes it tough to come to work and do your job when you don't have the equipment to come do it with," said the veteran Florence firefighter.

He currently works for the department. He said for the last three weeks most of the stations haven't been equipped with fire trucks. For parts of this week, Station 3 and Station 2 had only sport utility vehicles. Station 3 was without a firetruck for three days, which is in the center of the city and protects the University of North Alabama. Station 2 has been without a firetruck for over two weeks.

"The public has been mislead. To say that o

The new aerial truck cost close to $900,000, and it was funded by contributions large and small, including sizable investment by the City, County, Rural Fire District, and major local employers.

The fire protection district has three pumper trucks but its newest one is in Michigan undergoing a 6 month repair after metal started flaking off the truck's frame. 

"So now we're down to two trucks, two pumpers, both of these trucks are 20 years old. Reliability is a concern and maintenance costs for these two trucks are extremely high," said Fire Chief Erik Kambarian.

Kambarian said the fire protection district really needs a new, reliable fire truck but can't afford the more than $400,000 cost. He said revenue from property tax has been flat since the 2008 recession but costs have continued to climb.

Collin L. Brill, 53, from Long Valley was arrested on March 3 after police say he struck a fire truck on Fairmount Road. According to police, Brill crossed the double yellow line and struck the fire truck head on as it was driving to a call.