The new Hauula fire station will be about 9,200 square feet, and will have two apparatus bays housing an engine and a tanker, according to officials.

The structure will house 18 firefighters and feature energy-efficient designs and gender-neutral living areas. The new station will replace the town's current and aging fire station that's more than 50 years old.

Construction on the fire station is expected to be complete by June of 2019.

As Neal and his staff, FEMA Fire Program Specialist David Parr, the chief, invited guests and various members of the media looked on, the station crew rushed to the truck, removed their dress shoes, donned boots, then coats and helmets as the engine screamed to life and they headed out.

Morrissette replaced the engine with his red Fire Chief’s SUV, and the ceremony – marking the department’s receipt of an Assistance to Firefighters Grant of $132,404 to purchase new personal breathing apparatus for the town’s firefighters went on as planned.

The fire department received its 2018 Spartan chassis engine, delivered last week, from the Alexis Fire Department. The new Engine 8 replaces an older 1987 Kodiak-Alexis pumper that had been in use within the department’s fleet. The new truck has a six-passenger cab and is equipped with a 1,000-gallon water tank. The new truck can pump 1,500 gallons of water per minute at full-speed. The department’s fire trustees ordered the new truck nearly a year ago.