Families wandered the grounds taking in all the mostly bright red and shiny equipment. Children played under the mist from the giant plume of water being shot out a pumper truck.

Roger Nadeau, an Acushnet resident and retired New Bedford fire chief, showed off Engine 266, a funeral fire truck. Nadeau’s nonprofit organization restored a 1986 piece of fire apparatus in honor of his brother, Fall River District Fire Chief Gerald W. Nadeau, who died in the line of duty in 2002. To date, it has been used as a hearse for the funerals of 18 active and retired firefighters.

“I built this truck in his memory so he’ll never be forgotten,” said Nadeau.

The truck includes several memorials. One that Nadeau was showing to 5-year-old Lily Veracka and 4-year-old Brody Veracka, of Westport, was a memorial to Father Mychal Judge, a chaplain of the New York City Fire Department and one of the victims of 9/11, along with 343 firefighters who died in the attacks.

Talk of a new engine has been in the works since 2014. For years, volunteer firefighters with the department shopped around to make sure they purchased the perfect truck for their needs.

Finally, fire engine 610 was purchased from Anchor Richey in Hickory for $450,000. Kanupp said taxpayer money paid for the truck, which replaced a much older engine they sold to a needier fire department.

The volunteer fire department covers 31 square miles and spans into several local towns. There are currently 42 volunteer members who make up the fire department.

Newark's Rescue 1 truck was heading to a fire on Mount Prospect Avenue, near Montclair Avenue, when it crashed at Orange Street and Clinton Avenue, according to city Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose, who said the incident was under investigation.

None of the injuries were considered serious, police said. Several people involved in the crash complained of pains.

“The new Station 35 has increased security, which is important in any government building, as well as a climate-controlled workout area, which is an improvement to the overall safety of the firefighters. The apparatus bay was designed and built large enough for a type 1 Engine for responding to structure fires, vehicle fires, motor vehicle accidents, and medical emergencies as well as a type 3 engine for responding to wildland fires in the vast wildland urban interface areas of the district. The interior of the station was designed to accommodate a 4-person crew comprised of a Captain, Engineer, Firefighter/Paramedic, and a Reserve Firefighter,” Velasquez noted.