He said being able to replace 20-year-old equipment that may be called out several times a day, serves a critical safety need for both the department and the public.

"You can do the math on 20 years of wear and tear and firefighting and the huge financial expense it is to maintain these so they're safe for our firefighters to operate as well as the safety and efficiency when they get to the scene to make sure they operate properly and safely," Johnson said.

The city is in no position to afford a half million dollars out of the city budget, to grant money, secured by Assemblyman Frank Skartados, will cover the purchase of a replacement engine.

The power will be enough to fuel the entire fire station, with some left over as well.

"It's enough to meet the needs of our fire department, and we have enough excess to meet most of the needs of the library," said Town Administrator Shaun Mulholland.

The panels will be an overall solid investment for the town, according to Mulholland.

"We don't have to lay out the money and we're going to get the (electricity) for the next 20 years," Mulholland said.

The deal spelled out in the easement will be good for the next two decades. After that, officials will need to renegotiate those terms.

The firefighters who work at the station partnered with the architect to design the facility to meet their specific needs and desires, a first in Carmel. The architect used a handwritten sketch from the firefighters when designing the exterior and referenced mock floor plans they created.

Among the firefighters’ requests was a fire pole, upstairs living areas, a large workout area and arched bay doors.