"We put the software in all eight stations and practiced for eight weeks and got input and opinions and made other adjustments," he added. "That beta-tested it for us."

Besides capturing data they don't have to input anymore, taking a photo of injuries and accidents, the new software has a wireless keyboard and can even dictate at a hospital. "We can transfer cardiac data to the cloud," Ashley said.

They transfer data to other devices and can even access Siri.

"It's a learning curve, including a re-send for corrections," Miller said. "Once we're in the field, we're making it better."

“The truck and the slip-on unit are replacing an older, maintenance-troubled truck that the department built many years ago,” said West Lake Limestone VFD Fire Chief Allen McWhirter. “The new truck will take the older truck’s number. We appreciate having a vehicle equipped with a slip-on unit that includes a 500-gallon water tank and has foam capability.”

A slip-on unit is designed to become a fast, initial-attack firefighting unit. It is used in wildland firefighting as well as structure and auto fires and is a complete, self-contained firefighting apparatus designed for a pickup truck or custom-built vehicle platform.