The pumper engine has many design improvements that also contribute to safe operation by firefighters. Enhanced visibility on the scene and lighter-weight hoses will provide a safer response environment and reduce injuries.

"For about 20 years, nobody knew where it went," Stanger said.

Then one day he caught sight of it in a field.

"I saw that roof ladder sticking out of some weeds," he said. "It was a treasure, you know. We found it and realized, 'Hey, here's old Pneumonia. Let's see what we can do with it.'"

Over the next few years, Stanger, his sons, and several other people brought the old engine back to life.

While it used to be a volunteer-only fire station, the county wants to renovate it to hold volunteers and career firefighters. That would mean adding an operations center and a new truck bay.

The new ambulance features a new stretcher mount with a locking mechanism meant to keep the patient safe during transport. The mount will appear on any new ambulance purchased during and after 2017, and older stretcher designs will need to be retrofitted to the new mechanism. 

The emergency medical service recently added two new four-wheel drive trucks to its fleet. The heavy-duty silver ambulances have a lot of new toys that are helping save lives.