The Homewood Fire Department was able to save money on the truck while also being more specific with its features by buying it through the Houston-Galveston Area Council, a cooperative purchasing program that helps local governments and nonprofits.

The engine is a Pierce Enforcer, Grabowski said. It has a custom-built chassis with a 750-gallon tank and a Detroit Diesel 500-horsepower motor. When a fire hose is hooked up to a hydrant, the truck can pump 1,500 gallons of water per minute.

“The vehicle is a fully (National Fire Protection Association) compliant engine that comes with a full complement of ground ladders and a hose bed that will carry over 1,000 feet of both supply and attack hose,” Grabowski said.

The engines that were on display from the club were actually part of McDonald’s collection, and should be familiar to people who attend Western Days events. It also included the 1998 LaFrance (ALF) fire engine that is on loan to the VC Firefighters Association and which is on display at national holidays and observances. Residents who drove by during Monday’s 9/11 observance saw the same engine with the American flag hanging from its ladder.

The Mercury News has some info on the city of Milpitas (CA) Fire Department's front-line apparatus.

“The repairs on Engine 86 occurred after a component on the vehicle failed in the all-wheel steer portion of the rear axle. Burton’s Fire apparatus repaired the axle and the fire engine is now back in service,” Deputy Fire Chief Richard Frawley said.

The City of Camdenton is making use of empty space by bringing higher education and law enforcement training to town.

The partnership with Missouri State University will give lake area residents access to college classes and public safety training, in a location that used to be a fire station.

"I always saw a need for higher education in this area," Camdenton Mayor John McNabb said.

McNabb says fulfilling that need began when the city contracted its fire services to another department and left the building vacant.

Authorities said a firetruck was returning to the station when a white sedan heading south on Fredericksburg Road veered into oncoming traffic.

Authorities said the firetruck tried to avoid the vehicle but hit it on its side.