Historic Preservation Board Chairwoman Blithe McAndrew said she was excited about the project as well, specifically its potential to remind people of the city’s tussles with fire in its earlier days.

“That bell is an artifact from the early days of Cheyenne, when fire was a real threat to its structures” she said. “It’s interesting history, and it’s a lesson in the way things have changed and the ways they have stayed the same over time.”

Johnson said he was just glad he was able to make good on Palen’s faith in him.

Many towns have been evacuated and over 300,000 acres have been burned due the fires.

Last Thursday, the Seiling Fire Department lost a tanker truck after crashing into a semi truck. Another one of their trucks is also out of commission now.

EMS Director Jerry Newell said Friday his agency requested the study because call volume is growing and EMS is “bursting at the seams” in its 35-year-old main station next to Sentara Albemarle Medical Center.

Newell said call volumes exceeded 1,000 a month in every month of 2017. That’s an 11-percent increase from calendar year 2016, and demand is likely to continue to increase as residential development in both Pasquotank and Camden continues.

Newell also said EMS crews sometimes field 50 calls in a day.

“These folks are getting a tremendous workout,” he said.

Additionally, Newell said there’s little to no room for additional personnel or ambulances at the main station, though EMS does spread equipment and personnel to various satellite stations in both counties, including in South Mills.

Newell also explained that EMS needs to plan for growth so that it can maintain good coverage response times throughout both Pasquotank and Camden counties. 

Fire officials say the trucks would replace older equipment that the city will then sell as surplus.

If approved, Station 1 will receive a new ladder truck, and Stations 3 and 5 will receive new pumper trucks.

“If we get these three trucks approved and purchased, then our fleet of trucks will be in pretty good shape for years to come,” explained Chief David Fletcher.