While the crew was evaluating and treating the patients there, another vehicle drove up and struck engine.

Odebralski said he isn't sure why the driver hit the fire truck, adding that its lights were activated and traffic cones were set out. The Riverside Police Department is investigating the crash's cause.

The driver was evaluated by medical staff already at the scene, Odebralski said, and refused further treatment. Nobody else was injured from that crash, but one person was hospitalized from the initial rear-end collision.

The engine has some front-end damage. The department's maintenance crew will work on it while the crew that usually uses it will temporarily drive a reserve engine.

When firefighters respond to a traffic collision, they park their engine at an angle to block the incident from passing motorists.

“New safety features were built into this truck due to the ongoing changes over the years, such as making the truck more visible with its striping pattern that is highly reflective, multiple cameras and an overall cleaner setup,” Douglas said.

The truck’s 750-gallon tank is able to pump 1,500 gallons per minute.

Additionally, the truck has more storage, interior ladders, filtration in each compartment to keep grime out, medical equipment compartments accessible from the inside and outside and other features.

It will be a couple of weeks before the truck is assigned to a station, Douglas said. “There are still little minor things we need to add to it, such as lettering, stocking it and other odds and ends,” he said.

Most fire engines last about 15 years, he said, but the new truck should last 20.

Rio Hondo Fire Department Fire Chief William Bilokury said the department got the truck in May. However, firefighters weren't able to use it because it needed some repairs.

The truck was also non-compliant with some state regulations.

Bilokury said the issues were resolved. He said firefighters were able to put the new unit to use over the weekend.

"It enhances our firefighting capability exponentially. We have more resources available here with this vehicle off road high water," he said. "And 1,000 gallons of water provides us with the capability to go fight in areas where we don't have water sources."