The massive new engine and pumper replaces a 1999 model, according to Horn Lake Fire Chief David Linville.

The new fire truck is bound for Fire Station 2. Firefighters are presently undergoing training at Station No. 3.

"We've been conducting a three-day exercise," said Linville, adding the new fire truck has plenty of "bells and whistles" that firefighters must acquaint themselves with during the course of the training.

"This will provide enhanced fire protection for the City of Horn Lake," said Horn Lake Mayor Allen Latimer.

He praised Linville for not only taking the initiative to train the firefighters on the new equipment but for the role that Linville and his fellow firefighters play in keeping the community safe each and every day.

Linville's department is once again in the running for the "Golden Axe Award," sponsored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association for leading the state in the "Fill the Boot Campaign" undertaken by fire departments across Mississippi.

The Pueblo West department got its new pumpers — which are fire trucks that carry water and are the main source for pumping water — in October and they went into service about two weeks ago after the fire department worked on them to get them ready to go, according to Brad Davidson, a division chief of the Pueblo West Fire Department.

Davidson said the department needed the pumpers because more resources are necessary to respond to an increase in calls and it needed to replace aging equipment.

“They’ve been great so far,” Davidson said. “They’re class A custom pumpers, which means it has a bigger pump in it and the quality of the construction of the truck is good.”

Because the department got two new pumpers, it decided to get rid of a 1976 class A pumper that had been used by the department as a reserve truck.

“We thought, ‘What was the best thing we could do with this truck?’ and the idea was to see if any smaller volunteer fire department around us could use it,” Davidson said.

The Boone Fire Department jumped at the opportunity to get the pumper.

The Boone department had only one class A pumper and if that truck were to break down and go out of service for repairs they had no backup options except for two brush trucks, which are used for fighting brush and grass fires but aren’t necessarily suited for other types of firefighting.

Foundation settlement issues has lead to some structural damage on the 55-year-old building, which does not conform to current building codes. In addition, the facility doesn’t provide for female accommodations, according to a City Staff report.

The building will be demolished to make way for the new 11,740 square-foot facility.

The new station will feature three bays, a mechanic shop, a kitchen, rooms for dining, lounging and medical supplies, a gym, fuel station, hose-drying tower, emergency training area and 10 dorm rooms.

Costa Mesa Fire Department Chief Dan Stefano said the improvements is a win-win for the public and the department.

“It will have a number of things that will assist not only our efficiencies but also firefighter safety,” Stefano said Tuesday.

Given to age of the structure and its outdated wiring and facade, it was easier to start from scratch rather than perform individual repairs and upgrades, said city spokesman Tony Dodero.

“It would have been the spot for an incident command post for that fire and we would have had an earlier jump on that fire,” Blowing Rock Fire Chief Kent Graham said. “Fortunately, Laurel Fork Baptist Church made their facility available for an incident command post. They were absolutely fantastic.”  

Currently, Blowing Rock Fire Department operates its largest station on Valley Boulevard and Station 2 on U.S. 221. The facility under construction (Station 3), which has been planned since before the property was purchased in 2011, is located at 2409 Aho Road.

Station 3 will feature three bays and have room for an engine, tanker and a brush truck. Graham noted that down the road a medical support response vehicle could be stacked in a bay with a brush truck. The facility will also feature a bunkroom for manning during special situations and a community room for citizens in the Aho and Sampson areas.

Currently, Station 1 is nearly 5 miles away from the future Station 3 location.

Graham noted that the construction of Station 3 should bring all of the property within the Blowing Rock Fire District into a protected fire insurance classification, which will improve both response times and insurance premiums to that area of the fire district.

Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue is borrowing up to $1 million to build Station 3.