The vehicles were paid for with funds from a bond issue passed in April 2014. From the $14 million in the bond issue, $5.35 million was allotted for the firefighting vehicles to help replace older apparatus, some of which were nearly 30 years old.

Six more vehicles will be delivered to the district this year: four Danko brush trucks in July, and two Rosenbauer rescue squad vehicles in October.

The purchases were funded with proceeds from a quarter cent sales tax that offsets ambulance service operations for Labette Health. The tax generates about $600,000 a year. Under the contract with the county, if the hospital ambulance service experiences a direct loss, the county agrees to reimburse the hospital 95 percent of its loss, or 100 percent of the revenue generated by the sales tax, whichever is less. Since 2013, the county has given $1,193,597 to the service to set aside for the purchases and outfitting of new ambulances. Three were ordered in 2015 from Braun Custom Ambulances, Van Wert, Ohio, and delivered this month, the last one on Wednesday. Two more ambulances will be ordered later this year.

Ambulance service Director Randy Grimmett accepted delivery of the ambulance late Wednesday morning from Brent Coburn of Jones Motor Co. of Spring City, Pennsylvania.

The three ambulances will replace three existing units with odometer miles reading 230,000 to 250,000.

The ambulance was not carrying any patients at the time of the 4 p.m. crash, Palos Heights police officer Joe Carlson said. The 20-year-old driver was not ticketed.

"The driver was pulling into the parking area when he hit the accelerator instead of the brake," Carlson said. "Fortunately there were no patrons or employees near the front of the store when the accident occurred."

Lake St. Louis fire department Chief Clinton Gussner said what makes fixing the trucks complicated is that they are about 20-years-old and the parts are no long available.

Gussner said in the 40 years the fire department has been around they have only ever had two tax increases.

In August the fire department has two propositions on the ballot for Lake St. Louis voters, Proposition Life and Proposition Safety.

Proposition Life is an 18 cent tax levy. That money would be used for getting the current budget deficit caught up and hire two more firefighters.

Proposition Safety is an eight million dollar bond.

That money would be used to consolidate the two stations into one new location and buy new equipment such as trucks.