Bryant said, this fiscal year, the department has reduced their budget by about $3.5 million.

On top of that, there's been a significant increase in overtime costs, forcing important equipment out of service in order to minimize those overtime costs while meeting the budget reduction.

“Yes, there's a diminished level of service, but we make sure to do that in a way that it's not that severe," Bryant said.

These brush pumpers are crucial in fighting wildfires and, luckily, due to recent weather, the threat has been low.

Just one brush pumper out of service saves the department on average $1,400 per day in operating costs.

Multiply that by six, and that's saving roughly $8,400 per day.

Union President Scott VanHorn wants to keep this equipment in service because those brush pumpers have other uses, too.

"They can get to areas that a fire engine can't. They have one person assigned to them and can sit on downed power lines and make sure that the citizens are safe from them," VanHorn said.

Suffolk County police said the fire department vehicle had stopped at the light after exiting the training center, about a mile north of the intersection, and when the light turned green and the van started to pull away it was rear-ended by a 1994 Buick sedan.

Police did not identify any of the injured, including the driver of the Buick, and said detectives are still investigating the circumstances of the crash.

Photos from the scene showed the front end of the Buick smashed in, its front windshield shattered and air bags deployed.

Suffolk fire officials said South Country Ambulance took the injured to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue for treatment of unspecified injuries.

It is part of “Manufacturing Day” — an annual national event observed at thousands of manufacturers hoping to show potential workers a sleek, technology-driven industry.

“Manufacturing technology is the most exciting sector in the next generation’s workforce,” said Frank Rzeznikiewicz, chief operating officer at USSC. “The demand for skilled labor, engineers, programmers, and operations management is in high demand and all forecasts indicate phenomenal growth. Salaries within these areas are also predicted to outpace all other career paths. Joining the new industrial revolution is a guarantee to a successful future.”

Rzeznikiewicz started at USSC in February and is in the process of transitioning the operation from a traditional factory to one where lean manufacturing is practiced.

“You can’t get kids to come into a dirty manufacturing plant,” said the manufacturing booster who has worked in the industry for 42 years. “This will be totally lean and clean” when the transition is complete next year.

Privately held, USSC Group is headquartered on Gordon Drive, has 112 employees working there and has 12 locations throughout the world. It has four lines: public transit seating, in which it designs and makes heavy duty passenger seats for city bus, motor coach and rail markets; operator seating, in which it provides seating for the extreme and heavy-duty transportation markets; military seating, in which it develops and manufactures high technology, high strength military seating and restraint systems; and FMNA, which makes environmentally friendly water mist fire suppression systems for engine compartments and enclosed spaces.