Officials will use the truck as a water supply in rural areas in Greenwich and elsewhere in Warren County, Mecsey said. Since March, Greenwich has relied on surrounding communities for tanker truck service and now will finally be able to return the favor. Besides hauling water, the new truck can pump 1,000 gallons a minute.

The volunteer fire company has about 35 members and eight auxiliary members, and several of them stopped by the station Saturday to get a look at the new vehicle, Mecsey said.

It's on a Freightliner chassis and was built by Pierce Manufacturing Inc. in Bradenton, Florida. The new truck is owned by the township and was purchased through insurance, said Mecsey, who is also the township's superintendent of public works.

The tanker-pumper is one of four firefighting vehicles used in Greenwich, accompanying two other pumpers that carry 1,000 gallons each and a 100-foot aerial platform truck.

Mecsey, in his 23rd year as chief, said the goal is to have it equipped and manned by the end of the month.

"We have driver training and operations training, and we still have to get equipment on it," he said. "Today we'll go through a checklist and review warranty forms.

Sen. Jon Tester and Rep. Ryan Zinke both got a look at the vehicles while visiting Fire Station #1.

The new pumpers will replace Helena’s current engines, one from 1995 and one from 2005. All together, they cost just under $1 million. Helena Fire Chief Mark Emert says support from Zinke, Tester and Sen. Steve Daines was key to securing a FEMA grant to help pay for the equipment.

”The fire department’s great, the firemen themselves dedicated,” said Zinke after his tour. “But it’s great to see them have the right equipment, the right training, the right mission focus to get the job done, and I think Helena ought to be proud of this department.”

Wells said Lee County Fire Chief James Howell had evaluated the bids and determined the lowest qualified bid of $125,640 came from Custom Trucks and Body Works Inc. of Woodbury.

Custom Trucks will install a winch for $3,800, bringing the total expense for the new rescue truck to $129,440. Funding for the truck was allocated in the county’s SPLOST VI referendum, and delivery of the vehicle is expected within 150 days.

County Commission Chairman Rick Muggridge said the decision to approve the purchase was easy for him, as he believes public safety is one of the areas that should be addressed by SPLOST funding.

“It’s the best use of SPLOST funds, I think,” said Muggridge. “SPLOST ought to be about roads, and (infrastructure) projects and public safety vehicles. It’s our obligation to fulfill the promise we made to the voters. We said, ‘If you vote for this, these are the promises we make.’ We have a moral obligation really.”

Wells explained that the new rescue truck will replace a 1998 fire apparatus vehicle that has 161,000 miles and is considered unsafe.

“The current rescue truck we have is a ‘99 model and has been in service for 18 years,” he said. “It’s been involved in multiple accidents and has been deemed virtually unsafe at this point.

“We are not able to respond in the way we would like to, and we’re asking you to grant us this approval to purchase a new rescue truck that would serve for the next several years.”

With the purchase of the new vehicle, Muggridge said Lee County is continuing its recent trend of making significant improvements to the county’s fleet of Public Safety-related vehicles.