According to the criminal complaint, a Coon Rapids firefighter witnessed the trucks speeding south down I-35W, traveling at an estimated 80 to 90 mph. He allegedly saw the third vehicle, driven by Johnson, swerve into the right lane three times before it traveled across traffic and attempted to correct itself, crashing into the median where the box separated from the cab and rolled multiple times on I-35W near 95th Avenue, the complaint states.

Fire Department Chief John Lehman told the city commission this week that the drone would not be used on a daily basis.

"There's not someone out there that we're trying to model - we're attempting to be the model for departments in the state of Michigan," Lehman said in an interview with MLive.

The $935,000 apparatus, named Quint 181, was delivered to Station 183 in Mt Laurel on Friday, Aug. 11, but will be housed at Station 181 off U.S. 280 across from Lee Branch.

CVFD Lt. Stephen Gaither said fire engines are typically replaced every 10 years and aerial units every 20 years. The unit replaced by the new ladder truck turns 21 years old this year.

The old unit will remain with the department and could be used as a reserve or at a station where it would see less use, Gaither said.

Seven members of the Fire Department’s arson and bomb squad received their certification to fly the unmanned aircraft, Fire Department spokeswoman Ashley Papagni said.

Capt. Trenton Campbell said the technology will help members of his team responding to reports of suspicious packages make faster assessments of what firefighters are up against. He said it would take “literally minutes” from the time firefighters arrive to when a drone could capture images of a device and the surrounding area.