The ladder truck is equipped with a built-in piping extending the length of the 100-foot ladder, eliminating the need for a firefighter to haul hose up two or three stories to reach the roof. It also comes with a half-dozen ground ladders.

He called the piece of equipment in Lexington “a tremendous bargain” and cited other used ladder trucks on the market as ranging from $42,000 for a slightly older vehicle to $240,000 for a newer model. A new custom ladder truck can cost a fire department up to $900,000.

Gallagher said he talked to the apparatus company that serviced the vehicle and confirmed it has been regularly maintained and in good condition.

This new state-of-the-art Engine 1 will take the place of Engine 7, which has served the community for the past 33 years. The funding for this engine was provided by a generous grant of $434,087 from the William N. Pennington Foundation in Reno.  The William N. Pennington Foundation was formed by the late William N. Pennington, a gaming industry pioneer and philanthropist, providing grants to primarily Northern Nevada based organizations in the area of Education, Community Services, Health Care, and Medical Research.

Proposal items outline a floor-to-ceiling renovation, remodeling the firehouse bay to handle bulky trucks, waterproofing the building’s exterior, replacing part of the roof and installing a new heating and ventilation system.

Built in the early 1920s during the “horse and buggy" days, Fire Chief Lou DiMeglio said the aging firehouse is not made to house today’s trucks. Years of use have worn tire-width grooves into the floor, which sags under the weight of the trucks.

“It’s in bad shape, let’s put it that way,” DiMeglio said.

Fire officials say a longstanding policy has been to take department vehicles out on various tasks, such as going to the grocery store or hitting the gym, in an effort to minimize response time should a fire call come in.

Township manager George Wolfe and Colonial Park fire chief John Fogg each confirmed a non-reportable accident involving a fire apparatus on Jonestown Road.

Fogg said the incident occurred while the crew was on "routine business," but Wolfe said he wasn't aware if the apparatus was on an emergency call or training at the time.

"It's concerning in that we at the township need to know that equipment that we own ... we need to know how they're used," Wolfe said. "We don't permit them to leave the township without our permission."