The $550,000 engine will be stationed out of the department's Station 3 on East Division Street, Chief Bryan Brice said.

The department tries to update its engines every 12 to 15 years, Brice said, moving them from "front-line" service to reserve service after that time.

The average lifespan of an engine is about 20 years, he said.

The fire engine cost the town approximately $485,000, the captain said, and the ambulance, which replaces an older vehicle, cost just under $250,000.

"The ambulances are by far the most used apparatus we have," Capt. Rullo said. "The other ambulances we currently have are over 80,000 miles, so they are getting up there. It takes four to five months to build a new ambulance. Maintenance costs were starting to rise, and the department needs to have reliability. If we wait too long and one breaks down, then we could be waiting a while to replace it."

The new ambulance, which will be based at Station 1 on Frank E. Hicks Drive, will enhance patient care and make it safer for the patient and firefighters, the captain said.

The 32-foot long custom Pierce Enforcer Pumper has 2,000 gallons per minute pump capacity and weighs more than 38,000 pounds. The new engine has an enhanced motor and braking system, along with various operational improvements such as an integrated light tower that can be raised and positioned remotely, making it useful in fire scenes, accident scenes, and police investigations after dark. The truck also enables firefighters with more attack hose capacity and includes specialty Emergency Medical Services (EMS) equipment compartments.

The crash happened along I-195 in Jackson, N.J. Wednesday, a regional newspaper, the Asbury Park Press, reported. Jackson is in the central part of the state, about 30 miles east of the capital, Trenton.

The ambulance and a Hyundai, both traveling east, crashed. The Hyundai driver, Justin Liebman, 24, of Braselton, Ga., was hospitalized with “non-life-threatening injuries,” the Press reported, citing a New Jersey State Police spokesperson. The ambulance driver, Donald Hannah, 74, of Felton, Del., was not hurt, according to the Press.

Capel said the new unit was built “from the ground up” by Osage Ambulances in Linn, Mo. Capel praised the manufacturer for the spirit of cooperation it showed in meeting the needs of the ambulance service.

The new vehicle cost about $148,000. Ambulance service capital development and county funds paid for the vehicle.

Capel noted that the entire ambulance service played an important role in providing input for the construction of the new vehicle.