The engine, which was custom built for the department in Appleton, Wisconsin, arrived at Falmouth Fire Rescue headquarters on Main Street Friday morning, September 2.

With the new engine, the department is now fully equipped with six fire engines and a ladder truck, Falmouth Fire Chief Michael F. Small said. The department was down two engines late last year, this after an engine at the West Falmouth station and a spare engine in East Falmouth were taken out of service due to mechanical issues. A used engine was purchased in December to replace the West Falmouth engine.

Deputy Fire Chief Scott J. Thrasher said a seven-member volunteer committee within the fire department spent a year providing input into the design of the new engine. Among the new features include an undercarriage that is resistant to salt and other corrosive materials, a new light tower, and up-to-date restraint systems including new air bags.

Deputy Chief Thrasher said the new engine will be outfitted with radios and equipment next week, with firefighter training to follow. He said the engine could be in service the week of September 19.

The previous Greenville Fire-Rescue Unit 4 was being returned from Siddons-Martin, a dealer/service center in Denton, and was proceeding east along U.S. Highway 380 that morning when the truck exited the roadway and struck the Dairy Queen.

The truck was being operated by employees of Siddons-Martin at the time of the crash. The driver reportedly told police investigators he was distracted prior to the accident.

Two people were transported from the scene, the driver of the unit and a customer inside the Dairy Queen, neither of whom sustained life-threatening injuries.

Anniston police declined to comment on the incident but according to matching case numbers on an arrest and incident report, Herbert Clifton Hughes, 39 of Anniston, was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal mischief, a Class C felony. Taylor, who was not present for the incident and did not know the suspect's name, said Hughes began attacking the truck.

"He literally jumped on the front of our pumper and started bashing in our windshield with a can of compressed air," the chief said.

The incident report indicated that Hughes was suspected of being under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.

The truck, while still operational, is on limited use, Taylor said. The inside of the windshield was held together with packing tape and the front grill of the truck was slightly pushed in.

"To replace the windshield, it's going to cost between $1,000 and $1,200," Taylor said. "It'll be another $300 to $500 to install it."

Taylor said the new windshield should be installed by the beginning of next week.

Thomas said the truck is a 2016 Kenworth Top Mount and can pump 1,250 gallons of water a minute.

It is also a compressed air foam system truck, only the second one purchased by the department.

Thomas said the truck was purchased because the current front line pumper, a 1991 Pierce model, needed to be replaced.

According to Thomas, the department now has six trucks in the fleet.

The truck cost $315,000 and was purchased through the VFD budget.