Before refabrication — completed late last year — the truck was painted in camouflage style and used as a transportation vehicle. After, its red paint sparkles and a 325-gallons-per-minute pump discharges water and foam from a 500-gallon tank.

“It’s really remarkable what happened to this truck. We cut the body right here,” said Deputy Chief Dennis Patterson, pointing to a part of the truck’s bed that steps down to facilitate the water tank.

Patterson said the truck’s primary purpose is to extinguish wild fires, but is also used during inclement weather because of its exceptional off-road capabilities and maneuverability.

For the past decade, the city's elected officials have debated what to do about the aging downtown Fire Station 15 and how to improve response times citywide. The council decided to build a third station on Algonquin Road in 2014 but reversed course the next year, deciding to remain with two stations but in new locations.

Fire Chief Scott Franzgrote has endorsed the plan to relocate both stations. He cited data Tuesday that showed the area with the greatest fire risk is on the south side, with its preponderance of multistory apartment buildings that don't have fire sprinklers. And the highest call volume is from the east side.

"Our fire stations are in the wrong location to meet the risk profile and service demands of our community," he said. "We've known this for some time."