The proposal now moves to the full Los Angeles City Council for a vote.

Officials contend the new station is needed to replace the Valley's oldest fire house, the 1930s-era Station 39 on Sylvan Street.

A two-story station, the fire house will operate 24 hours a day. At least 16 firefighters or emergency personnel will work on site.

The project, which faces dozens of nearby homes, has drawn concern from neighbors. The sirens will be a nuisance and a planned sound wall won't help, locals argue.

"The sounds will be horrible," said Valley resident Jeffrey Lynn. "There's no way to mitigate these things."

Lynn and other neighbors sued the city over the council's original approval of the fire house in June 2014, arguing the noise and other environmental effects of the proposed station should have been studied.

The lawsuit prompted City Hall officials to rescind the project's approval in December 2014. and order a fuller environmental report, which was finalized in June.

That study called the noise of the sirens "significant." But with the sound walls -- which will be at least 10 feet -- the siren noise will be lessened, the report states.

State law requires fire department staff to sound the siren when exiting the station to respond to emergency calls. However, "emergency responders make every effort to minimize use of the siren if the station is located in a residential setting," according to an earlier city review.

The matching grant program also represents a cost-effective use of limited federal funds. While applicants must offer a minimum of 50 percent in cost-share match for its request, many provide much more, which resulted in every federal dollar being matched with $1.61 in spending from the recipient. The grants help underwrite the cost of useful items and equipment to help volunteer firefighters meet the unexpected and often unpredictable threat of wildfires in fields, forests, open spaces, and marshes. Funds can be used to purchase items such as Nomex – the lightweight fire-resistant clothing used by wildland firefighters – or necessary equipment such as two-way radios, hoses, drip torches, flashlights, pumps, hoses, gloves, boots or chainsaws.

The 60 volunteer fire companies in the First State are extremely vital to the mission of the Delaware Forest Service as they provide much of the manpower and equipment to fight wildfires in the state. In fact, many members of Delaware’s wildland fire crew who help battle blazes in the western United States are drawn from the ranks of local volunteer fire companies.

The entirety of Poquoson is barely above sea level, leaving the city at constant risk of flooding. It's also very marshy, and even when it's not flooded, changing tides can strand regular boats on sand bars.

The new airboat gives the fire department the ability to traverse the marshy areas around the Peninsula and to maneuver in shallow water, Breeden said. That's going to make it especially valuable during floods.

Airboats don't float like traditional boats, which dip down into the water, said Corey Archer, a Poquoson firefighter/paramedic and one of the boat's operators. Instead, he said, it displaces water and sits on the surface.

Because the boat doesn't sink into the water, it can easily transition from water to land and back again, Archer said. He said the boat can be deployed on any smooth surface, though it does help if the surface is slightly wet.

The device is built to military specifications, and the price includes a zoom lens, high-resolution camera, thermal camera, two batteries, carrying case, training for 10 officers, mapping software, and an iPad Mini for controlling the drone.

Representatives from Toledo Aerial conducted a demonstration prior to the meeting for council members and city officials.

Police Chief Mike Navarre said the drone could be used in hostage and barricade situations, as well as search and rescue efforts — especially in water. The fire department can also use it to detect and attack the hottest spots in fires.

Councilman Tim Zale, a retired Oregon police detective, thinks the drone will bring only positives to the community.

“It also has a clamp on it where we can actually drop items to people,” Mr. Zale said. “We can drop a life jacket to someone in distress or pull a rope across a certain area if we had to rescue someone with it.”