The current ladder truck has a 75-foot ladder. The new ladder truck has a 107-foot ladder.

Each floor in a commercial building is typically 10 feet tall, which means the new ladder truck will allow the fire department to reach about three floors higher than it can with the current ladder truck.

"With the city building the River District up and with all the loft apartments, this is going to be a vital piece of equipment if we ever have a fire there," Jefferson said.

Danville Firefighter Tony Mills has been with the department for 14 years and is looking forward to training on the new truck.

"This is the first truck we've had with the rear steer, so that's going to be different; getting the feel of how that handles," Mills said. "It's excellent to have a fire department that sees what you need and then goes out there and tries to get you the tools to get the job done."

"There’s not a lot of difference, obvious the size and the weight rating is different, but this truck pumps the same amount of water as our larger engines. It just wont carry as much equipment as the old, would be the main drawback," he said.

Sickles said the cost of the mini-pumper is half the amount of a regular engine.

Another perk the fire department said was that it will be able to fit at their fire station one, located at city hall, as that station is a little smaller.

The vehicle is used as a makeshift rescue rig, carrying equipment for the fire department’s most technical emergency calls, including rescues involving structural collapse, trenches and confined spaces.

For almost 20 years, it’s done its job — mostly. Now it’s time for the 1981 International Harvester to make way for a brand new rescue rig, saving the department — and taxpayers — thousands of dollars in maintenance costs.

“The new rig will be safer for us getting down the road (and be) easier to maintain,” Lt. Josh Farris said.

Firefighters say the beer truck is outdated and costly. When it breaks down, it can spend weeks in the maintenance shop, costing the department thousands.