Those SUVs don't carry fire hoses and their crews aren't allowed to transport patients but Nashville Fire Deputy Director Chief Mike Franklin says they are useful and easier to maneuver.

"Let's say you're going to a person down at the Convention Center. It's easier to use this unit in heavier traffic as opposed to a bigger unit," said Franklin.

The SUVs contain both basic medical gear and basic firefighting gear.

Two EMT trained members of the five person engine teams man them.

A lot of those calls end up at various agencies that serve the homeless like the Room in the Inn where as many as 400 people might be served on a given day.

"They are an absolute wonderful partner," said Rachel Hester. "Sometimes it's a a heart attack they may be having a heart attack or someone is having a seizure that's uncontrollable."

Hester says those firefighters have saved lives on those calls.

Chief Franklin says they're also saving money.

Each SUV helps add another 2 to 5 years of service for the fire engine they're connected to.

The money will be used to purchase bay doors, construct a driveway and a parking lot for the station, replace the roof on the house and add a brick facade to the bays, in addition to several other items.

The grant is made possible by the Faye and Lewis Manderson Fund and the DTS Fund, component funds of WACF that were established by Cordova natives after the April 2011 tornadoes for the city’s benefit.

Mayor Drew Gilbert submitted a funding request to WACF after announcing in February that the city had exceeded the $250,000 budget for renovating a former residence on School Street into a fire station and that an additional $90,000 was needed to make it operational.

The announcement that funding is now in place to complete a project that struggled to gain traction for several years following the 2011 storms came as welcome news to the city’s volunteer firefighters.

“We can finally have a home,” said Fire Chief Dean Harbison. “We’ve had five temporary sites since the tornadoes. Nothing has been permanent. Everything has been sort of duct taped together so we could use it.”