The nearly $1 million tower ladder truck replaces another that was 30 years-old and in need of significant repairs. The Village bonded $1.2 million for the purchase late last year and placed the order a couple of months ago.

Fire Chief Rob Jacyna says the new truck has better technology, better fuel economy and a quicker set up. JC Mayor Greg Deemie says it will also be able to better navigate some of the village's narrow streets.

The purchase of the E-One truck was done using the department’s tax levy and fund raising (bingo).  

Planning for the purchase of the new truck started five years ago, with the committee looking at what the department’s needs were for the present and future.  

The new aerial truck features a 100-foot ladder, with a platform on the end of it.

Center Moriches fire officials are asking voters to approve an $11.7 million bond proposition that would pay for an expansion of the department’s firehouse. Fire district officials are proposing to reconstruct the west wing of the two-story firehouse and add a new east wing to expand truck bays and provide more space for offices and a radio room.

There are 10 EMTs and 13 paramedics working for Beatrice Fire and Rescue, and five of those EMTs are currently studying to become paramedics, Fire Chief Brian Daake said.

Both work to save lives, Daake said, but the difference comes down to training and what treatments they can provide en route to the hospital. EMTs are required to take 150 hours of training, along with ride time in an ambulance, while paramedics take part in a two-year course that requires some real world training.

An EMT, Daake said, would be able to provide the equivalent of extremely heavy first aid and a paramedic is something comparable to nursing, but with different aspects.

Fire departments are measured on a scale from one to 10, one being the highest. The DeKalb Fire Department had previously obtained an ISO Class 4 rating in 2012.  

DeKalb is one of 1,324 fire departments across the country to receive an ISO Class 2 rating, which puts the city in the top 3.4 percent of the nation, according to a Dec. 6 City of DeKalb document.