Chief Spring and some village council members expressed concerns at a late October meeting that they located several construction flaws with the building that were unacceptable. Among the most significant was the concrete floor of the main garage, which was not level and allowed water to pool in spots.

Robinson Building Solutions, the general contractor for the project, however, addressed the issue and added an epoxy finish, the chief said. The floor is now draining toward the central drainage outlet, as it was designed to do.

The fire chief said he is confident the builder will honor its warranty and address any problems that occur during the length of the contract.

The crash ruptured the truck's two diesel fuel saddle tanks, Serpa said. One was torn from the truck and spilled all its fuel, while the other lost about half. About 150 gallons of diesel spilled, mixing with water coming up from the broken well pump at about 200 to 300 gallons a minute, Serpa said.

Another plus was that the pump was backfeeding from wells in the area, so no diesel got into the wells, Serpa said. A valve beneath the street was shut off, so the water supply was not contaminated, he said. Water and power service to the neighborhood was interrupted only briefly.

Shortly after the crash, the California Highway Patrol taped off the area and warned that the water flowing from the pump might have been electrified. “Because it hit the power box, we err on the side of caution until TID (Turlock Irrigation District), the experts, show up,” Serpa said.

The station was empty because firefighters were out on a call, he said. Though the station would be without power until the big rig was moved, it would remain in service, he said.

Agencies working together at the scene included the Ceres and Modesto fire departments, the California Highway Patrol, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department, TID, the state Department of Environmental Resources and the Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services.

The fire department conducted a staffing and deployment study to significantly improve its response time and meet areas of greater demand in the community.

"It is essential to use our resources as efficiently and effectively as we can," said Fire Chief David Hall. "Over the past several years, we have developed the data to be able to make data-driven informed decisions on station, apparatus, and personnel placement in a way we previously could not. When one looks at the data, it is hard to see how any other conclusion can be drawn."

Several years ago, resources from the core of the city were redistributed to open each of the two stations with anticipation of annexation occurring in east and southwest Springfield. However, annexations have not occurred.

"My mother lives in Station 12's district and my mother-in-law lives in Station 6's district, each of which will be affected if those stations no longer house fire apparatus and personnel," said Chief Hall. "I would never put them at undue risk; however, I cannot in good conscience not put resources where they provide the greatest benefit to all citizens of the community. This moves resources to those citizens with the greatest risk and yet lacking the fire protection that is needed in their area."