Reports say Gunnar Theodore Ahlson was a psychiatric patient being transported from McLaren Hospital in Mount Clemens to Auburn Hills. He reportedly overpowered two Medstar employees and stole the ambulance, heading westbound on Hall Road and then northbound on Schoenherr where he crashed into two Macomb County Sheriff patrol cars, police said.

Rural Metro Fire Chief Jerry Harnish said the growing community in North Knoxville created the need for an additional station.  

"The need to have Station 36 here has been driven by the growth in the community. A quick look at the maps shows as long as the call was along Emory Road, it's a fairly easy prospect to get here from the Halls station or the Powell station. The problem has been the growth has been so phenomenal, those engines are now so busy," Chief Harnish said.

The truck is a brand new 2019 Ford F350 extended cab truck with custom outfitting by WildFire out of Alvarado, Texas. The truck is four wheel drive and has a 300-gallon tank fitted to the one ton chassis.  

The truck is capable of pumping 350 gallons per minute and will replace a truck owned by the Arkansas Forestry Department that's insured and maintained by the city. The older truck, a 1985 model, will move to Station 3 on County Road 27, where it will continue service.

The new truck cost approximately $91,000, according to Mountain Home Fire Chief Ken Williams who said the price was good considering such trucks can cost $121,000 or more.