The driver of the SUV had to be freed from the vehicle and transported to the hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. The deputy chief, Gary Mogel, was also taken to the hospital for evaluation, officials said.

The intersection is controlled by stop signs for drivers on both Third and Walnut streets, so officials have not been able to determine what led to the crash, which remains under investigation.

Some of the features include:

a hydraulic lift system that enables EMT crew members to hoist patients into the vehicle with the push of a button.

a mount that holds stretchers in place in the event the ambulance rolls-over.

mobile wi-fi to allow electronic patient care reporting and charging stations for mobile devices.

they even solar panels that charge the vehicles, saving gas and eliminating the need to idle.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital provides primary basic life support, or BLS, ambulance coverage to Hamilton and East Windsor townships and respond to nearly 1,000 emergency calls in the area per month.

Wear and tear, however, takes its toll, and that comes when, like last year, the department's operations responds to 31,933 calls. The total number recorded was 39,824, but that reflected canceled and duplicate calls as well as fire prevention work.

Father Time also plays a role.

Some of the fire trucks are getting up there in age, and fire officials concede the average age of their fleet, 11.38, is "a little high," as Deputy Chief Mike Lavoie put it. He said there is consensus within the firefighting industry that front line equipment - the trucks used on a regular basis - should be no older than 10 years. The National Fire Protection Association, he noted, holds 15 years as its standard age limit. After that, front line trucks should be moved to either reserve or spare status. At 25, according to the NFPA, the equipment should be "retired."

Consider then, that with the recent purchase of two new engines, Worcester will replace two much older engines, one from 1989, the other from 1993. Both will be used as spares. The oldest truck, a 1985 engine, has already been put out to pasture, although it will be used for training.

Half of the Fire Department's front line ladder trucks, however, are either at the 10- year standard Lavoie mentioned or older. One is 28 years old, another 22. One is 12 and two are 10. When you factor in the spare and reserve ladder trucks, which are 21 and 25 years old, respectively, the average is 15, the limit held by the NFPA.

In other words, the department is rolling with one front line ladder that should already have been retired, according to the NFPA standard, another that is just three years away, and a reserve that is right at that quarter century mark.

In a perfect world, Deputy Fire Chief and Public Information Officer John Sullivan said, the Fire Department wouldn't roll out any truck over 15 years old.

"Of course, we would like to have all of our trucks under 15 years old," he said, "but given the budget constraints of the city and the borrowing that goes into how we are able to buy them, that isn't always possible. We do a fantastic job of keeping the ones that we have in safe condition for our firefighters and the citizens of the city."

The trucks, Lavoie stresses, are safe.

Still, when asked how he would describe the overall "state of the fleet," Lavoie said, "Fair."

Sullivan upped that a bit, saying, "Fair to pretty good."