"This actually was a design that was put together by our staff," said Makey, noting firefighters visited several other departments to collect ideas for the Timberlands facility. "There's training components for high angle rescue, confined spaces, that are built right in this structure."

Makey added the location of the new fire station allows the City to continue to meet the standard for response times in new residential developments.

"From the time we get the call to the time we get to your door, it has to be ten minutes or less," he pointed out. "This was put specifically in a place where we are going to reach everywhere within that ten minute response time."

Fire Station #4 will serve the growing communities in Timberlands and Evergreen, as well as future developments in the East Hill area, accordiing to City Manager Craig Curtis.

Meantime, City officials the new Fire Station #3 is being built in Lancaster at 30 Avenue and Lees Street is expected to open in 2017.

"The new apparatus features a 1,500 gallon per minute pump, carries 750 gallons of water, 20 gallons of Class B foam, and compartments special built to hold a full assortment of tools and equipment needed for fighting fires and rescue incidents," he said.

East Alton Fire Department's fleet currently consists of a Fire Chief's vehicle, a 1989 75' aerial apparatus, a 1997 pumper, and a 2003 light duty rescue unit. The Fire Department will be combining the current pumper and rescue unit into one unit, the new Rescue/Pumper.

The 1997 pumper will be put into reserve status and the light duty rescue unit will be sold.

Instead of spending close to a million dollars on a new truck, each department took possession of a refurbished truck to fill the needs of the department at a fraction of the cost.

For the Farmington Fire Department, the second pumper is not a new truck. Instead, the department took a truck in the department's fleet since 2007 and had the vehicle completely refurbished.

According to Chief Todd Mecey, the department's secondary pumper, a 2007 Pierce Manufactured fire truck with a Caterpillar engine, was sent to the company's refurbishing plant in Weyauwega, Wisconsin to be completely overhauled.

Although the truck only had 70,000 miles on it, the vehicle was in need of the work.

Mecey added that to get a more accurate estimate on the wear and tear of a truck it is important to take the number of actual miles and multiply by five.

Adding to the wear and tear of the truck, Macey explained the company which made the engine is no longer in the big engine market. In fact, Caterpillar announced before the department took possession of the truck, they would no longer be making engines.

"We were able to get support for the engine," Mecey said. "But we were not able to get any technology upgrades."

Just like the Farmington Fire Department, Wolf Creek Fire Protection also practiced fiscal responsibility when they took possession of a refurbished pumper on Jan. 12.

"It is a 1999 Pierce Quantum fire truck with 50,000 miles on it" said Chief Bart Mabry. "It can pump 1,750 gallons per minute and the truck can carry 1,000 gallons of water."

According to Maybry, the new truck will be replacing a 1994 model with 100,000 miles on it.

"We purchased it from a dealer in Texas who did the mini-refurb on it," Maybry said. "It has new paint and lights. It still needs a couple of things that need to be done but it should be on the road by the end of the month."