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.