It was a busy first few days for Engine 13, operating again out of Mount Prospect's downtown fire station. The engine permanently reentered service at 8 a.m. Friday.
If the engine had remained permanently out of service, Fire Chief Brian Lambel said it would have caused more strain on the existing tower ladder truck. The department would have been forced to pull various life-saving apparatus from other stations as well.
"By having the engine back in service permanently, this saves time, wear and tear on the tower truck and most importantly, we maintain fire apparatus for second and third calls that may come in at the same time," Lambel said.
Engine 13 is similar to the tower truck in terms of amenities, Lambel added. It also contains more heavy-duty extrication equipment.