Fire Chief John Honaker says it took 22 minutes to respond to the fire Monday, and in an emergency, he says that's just too long.

That's why the department is asking for two new water crafts and a new firehouse to bring the crews closer to the people they serve.

Smith Mountain Fire and Rescue President Tom Lovegrove and Fire Chief John Honaker patrolled the lake Wednesday.

That activity includes a house fire two days ago that got out of control and killed one person.

"It's just hard to understand or adjust to something like that... there's times that people will hold onto that for a long time," said Honaker.

"These new vehicles were unanimously approved by the Valdosta City Council on January 21, 2016, on the same day that our Valdosta Fire Department officially received its Class 1 Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating--the highest rating a fire department can receive," said Mayor John Gayle. "Maintaining our top ISO rating is critical to keeping our insurance premiums low and demonstrates that Valdosta is a great place to live and do business."

The new trucks feature a 1,000-gallon water tank on them, back-up and blind-spot cameras, an additional LED lighting system, an exhaust removal system, and a low frequency siren that allows drivers to hear the emergency vehicles before they can be seen.

At the Nov. 30 event, the fire department also displayed its 1927 and 1998 fire trucks to demonstrate the advancements of these life-saving vehicles and the continued mission of the fire department.

Two of older trucks will be put into the reserve fleet to be used only when repairs or preventable maintenance is necessary to the newer trucks. The other two older vehicles will be sold on the GovDeals website, or they will be sold to another county/city.

Those funds are designated for fire and public safety equipment and services. reporter: the lifespan of a fire truck is usually 10-15 years.