Jonathan Saccoccio, a project architect, and Cory Frehsee, a civil engineer and partner, both of Steven & Associates, presented four proposed designs to about 40 town residents in the elementary school’s cafeteria Tuesday. Before the meeting, residents squeezed themselves between engines and trucks during an open house for the current station on Church Street.

The four proposals range in estimated cost from between $1.85 million to about $4 million. Saccoccio said those numbers represent a wide range to encompass all the eventualities, but the true cost won’t be known until the design process proceeds.

The current 40-year-old building lacks adequate space for vehicle maintenance and storage, and could hamper a quicker response to an emergency, Saccoccio said.

The first design would be the most expensive, but Saccoccio said it represents the ideal modern fire station. Located on the same site, it would have four bays that could fit two trucks stacked one behind the other each, plus office and training space around the perimeter.

Station 31 is new altogether and is located at 1061 Collins Hill Road in Lawrenceville, across from the campus of Georgia Gwinnett College.

"The strategic location of the fire station will provide quick access to the Highway 316 corridor and puts fire and emergency medical personnel close to the college and surrounding neighborhoods and businesses," Gwinnett fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said in a news release.

Upon arrival at Mid American Energy, the Muscatine Fire Department was told that a contracted worker was stuck in an industrial elevator basket in a 621' chimney. The employee was trapped at about 230 feet high.

Muscatine Fire’s Hazardous Incident Response Team was able to lower a fire department rescuer to the trapped worker through a rigging system. Both the worker and the rescuer were then lowered from the basket to a series of catwalks, and eventually the ground level. The entire rescue took about six hours in extreme heat and low visibility.

"This was an extremely dangerous and critical high angle rope rescue that was performed for the first time under these conditions at these heights outside of departmental training events," Muscatine Fire Chief Jerry Ewers said in a statement.

Only one fire fighter sustained a small injury during the rescue. The trapped worker was dehydrated and exhausted but otherwise uninjured.

According to the Muscatine Fire Chief, the department was assisted by the Grandview Fire Department, Louisa County Ambulance, and the Louisa County Sheriff Department. Approximately 11 Muscatine fire fighters responded to the high angle rescue; several off duty fire fighters responded to staff the main fire station and responded and handled several medical emergencies, out-of-town ambulance transfers, and one structure fire.

"That happened nearly 25 years ago," said Darrell Roberts, President of Chula Vista Firefighters Local 2180.

"The community, they come by often and say we thought this station was closed just by the way it looks," he added.

"We see asbestos issues, we see issues with termites, issues with rotting, roof leaks," said Chula Vista Fire Department (CVFD) Chief Jim Geering.

Chula Vista's City Manager Gary Halbert says these problems are very real and the station is in "desperate need" of being fixed.

Firefighters told NBC 7 that there are major health concerns that come with working inside, including a broken pipe that is being held together with zip ties and duct tape.

It's designed to carry exhaust from the engine outside but instead is part of the evening meal.

"All that exhaust that was supposed to go to the outside of the fire station was actually getting dispersed above the kitchen where our folks were eating," Roberts said.

But it’s not just Station Five that appears to be falling apart. Next to City Hall, Station One has warning signs of asbestos plastered on the back door.

"We defer that maintenance off year by year and those problems just get bigger and bigger," Geering said.

During a call for a fire, most of the time firefighters are also forced to wait for back up because the national standard says four firefighters should be on every engine.

An issue in the City of Chula Vista, since every fire engine operates with only three firefighters.

"We can't engage in an interior fire fight, unless there's somebody inside or a known rescue, until a second engine shows up. That delays all of our actions. We're not getting to people in time, and ultimately that's the difference between life and death,” Roberts said.

To get the new truck up and running, the volunteer fire department in the township spent all day Sunday removing equipment and transferring it from the old truck to the new one. Rosenbauer would have installed all the equipment at the plant, but transferring the serviceable old equipment saved the township significant sums of money and the truck was ready and in service by 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

New features include an automatic transmission so the entire volunteer fire department can drive it. There are also hoses on all four sides of the vehicle, a major upgrade over the old truck that often required jockeying to make the hoses accessible.

The control panel was placed in the middle of the truck and color-coded with the hoses so the operator in the truck has a 360-degree view of the scene and control of all the hoses and water within easy reach.

The department installed a new radio on the control console so the operator maintains both hands free. The ladders are attached to a hydraulic drop system that lowers them to the the fireman's height with the push of a button, instead of having to clamber over the vehicle and increase risk of injury.

Steve Selin, assistant fire chief, demonstrated a special feature that makes the truck immediately accessible in the event of a fire. The truck has an internal air pump that operates via external power to ensure the brakes are fully aired at all times for immediate departure in response to a call.

The old truck could take as many as three to five minutes to build pressure before the brakes would release, increasing response time. The plug-in for the internal air pump is equipped with an auto-eject cord in the event firefighters forget to unplug. The plug will eject about five feet away from the truck, saving the time required to unplug and cords being ripped out of the wall.

The new truck holds 1,250 gallons of water, compared to the old truck's 1,000 gallons, and has a pump capable of pumping 1,250 gallons per minute, meaning it can empty in one minute, if need be, through all four hoses.