"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."

Other features include a 1,250 gallon per minute pump, pump and roll and a 15 foot pre-connected hard suction hose, according to the Yutan Fire Department's Facebook page.

Kems said the department has been anxiously awaiting the new Smeal Fire Apparatus fire truck, which will replace the department's 1986, 1,000 gallon pumper tanker.

The department began working with a Smeal Fire Apparatus representative over a year and a half ago to determine what the department needed and wanted in a new truck.

Kems said the five-man cab interior, which is a unique feature for pumper tankers, is one of the special requests the department made.

The Rural Fire Protection District approved the design and signed the paperwork for production of the approximately $403,000 tax-funded truck to begin.

In the fall, the department was able to travel to the Smeal Fire Apparatus manufacturer in Snyder to see the new truck and request any minor changes before paint was applied to finish the job.

The custom-built truck, which took 500 days to build, will help keep the district's insurance premiums lower by meeting International Standards Organization (ISO) objectives, Kems said.

The decision to build a custom truck through Smeal Fire Apparatus, which was recently bought out by Spartan Motors, was easy, Kems said. The department wanted to do business somewhat locally.

The department will continue to rely on the old pumper tanker while putting on the finishing touches on the new truck.