"We painted the truck and did some other repairs like moving the red line reel down behind the cab so a fire-fighter doesn't have to be on top of the truck to reach the line," said Jerry Ragsdell, Cason VFD Chief. "Being able to reach the line from the ground is a safety issue and safety is a priority with our department."

In addition to the military truck, the department also received a grant through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program. The grant was used to fund a slip-on unit for the back of the truck.

A slip-on unit is a complete, self-contained fire-fighting apparatus designed for a pick-up truck or custom-built vehicle platforms. It is intended to become a fast, initial attack fire-fighting component used for wildland fire-fighting, structure and automobile fires. The truck could also be utilized for high-water rescue when needed due to the height.

Winebrenner took the idea to Mayor Merle Gorden, who would like to see Beachwood house a dispatch center.

It was a year ago that the city dropped its plan to host a regional dispatch center, one that would also be used by University Heights, South Euclid, Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights. Beachwood, as a result, lost a $1.9-million Cuyahoga County grant that would have helped pay for the formation of a regional dispatch center.

The four cities, minus Beachwood, have since gone on, with the aid of a $1-million county grant, to form a dispatch center that will be housed in Cleveland Heights.

Beachwood then considered renovating its former police garage for use as a dispatch center at a cost of $1.2 million-$1.4 million, but action to do so has not been taken.

The department took possession of the new trucks in late July 2016 and spent the month of August working to install and add to the truck needed communications equipment, gear, and emergency equipment and supplies. The new trucks' radios are compatible with and will allow communications between the department and the town police and surrounding towns' departments.

The three new trucks replace the older 1982 Mack Pumper 462, the 1977 Mack Foam Truck 467 and the 1990 Mack Engine 466.

One benefit of having three identical trucks is that the Fire Department will need to perform fewer hours of firefighter-training from now on.

"Once you train on one truck, you're trained on all. You don't have to learn three different trucks. It eliminates lots of man-hours of training," said Fire Chief Mike Jenkins.

The purchases of the three trucks were originally authorized by a bond resolution passed in 2013; that plan envisioned buying three new pumpers over the course of five years. Instead, in November 2015, the Fire Department asked town's leaders to consider a new and better plan: to purchase three identical pumper trucks in one year for an upfront discount off the overall purchase price and future operational savings on firefighter training hours.