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.