The station closed down in October of last year, and should be completed in early 2018. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $6.1 million.

In the meantime, firefighters and their vehicles have ben moved to other stations nearby. Engine 16 has been relocated to Station 51 at 218 Lincoln Blvd, and Truck 16 was relocated to Station 10 at 655 Presidio Ave.

"It's pretty exciting," said Chief Bernie Sebold of the Alton Fire Department. "Things are going well. We're getting closer, but we are not quite there yet. If we are fortunate, it will start by April 1. If it all falls into place sooner, it will be before April 1. It's the software driving the implementation date. The biggest, most time-consuming part is the software installation." The new software, once in place, will combine fire reporting and patient care reporting in one web-based program for efficiency. Some agencies have separate reporting software for fire and medical calls. "It simplifies it from the administrative end," he said of the combination. "I can pull it out for statistical evaluation, response time and transportation time on scenes so I can look at it to improve the response model." Firefighters will be able to input the patient information on computer tablets in the trucks, then transfer it to the in-house computer system through secure means. "There will be no paper to contend with," Sebold said. He still is entering data in the system, including names of all the streets in Alton and AFD personnel. Related to the software, is creating patient forms. "We have to get all of our forms in place for consent to treat and the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant notice of privacy" that patients sign that will have a signature capture on the tablets, he said. "We will work with the Alton Police Department on dispatching when the service does go live, as the protocol will change." Early on, Sebold said he wanted to begin running ambulances on April 1, the start of the city's 2017-18 fiscal year. The public may be seeing the two trucks with their brand-new reflective decals and lettering cruising the streets of Alton, but the firefighters are not yet going on emergency medical runs in the ambulances. At this point, the firefighters are familiarizing themselves with operating the vehicles, location of equipment the trucks are carrying and the two local hospital emergency department drive-up entrances.