"We not only want to take care of patients at the hospital, but also want to be sure we're improving the lives of people before they come to the facility and after they leave," Watson said. "Working with our Healthcare Foundation to make this donation to the fire department helps us fulfill one of those goals. We're very proud with the partnership between Maury Regional EMS and the Columbia Fire Department. They work very well together.".

The Maury Regional Healthcare Foundation celebrated 10 years of service in June. Over the past five years, the foundation has worked to provide services beyond what is offered at Maury Regional Medical Center, executive director Joe Kilgore said..

Often, firefighter units arrive on the scene of a call before EMS, Critical Care Paramedic at CFD Cody Hill said. With the new equipment, firefighters can see if a patient is having a heart attack and its location prior to EMS arrival. .

"We'll be able to do all of this before EMS arrives on the scene and we can notify the hospital. We'll also notify a cath lab to let them know our EMS crew is going to be coming in with a heart attack, so they can kind of get the ball rolling on everything," Hill said. "That'll save them minutes, which of course could be somebody's life, and they can turn around and go right to the hospital without having to sit on the scene running those tests."

Fire Chief Ian Brill said the all-volunteer department is looking forward to having the new engine in their firefighting arsenal, as the most recent engine was purchased in 1994.

He said the department strives to get at least 20 years of service out of their trucks and engines.

Like many of the volunteer fire companies in Fauquier County, Remington is staffed by a cadre of professional firefighters and EMTs who work in adjacent counties such as Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun. All together, the department has about 100 volunteers, said Brill.

And also like other volunteer companies in Fauquier County, Remington depends on fund raising activities to purchase equipment such as their new Seagrave engine.

While the county levy for fire services provides most of the day to operation expenses for the department, including fuel costs and some equipment, Brill pointed out is the community, through their donations, that fund major expenses such as new trucks and engines.

"We did some pretty extensive fund raising," Brill said, adding the department depends on events such as the annual Fireman's Carnival, the crab and shrimp dinners, and two sports batches each year. The crab dinner is coming up Sept. 17, he noted.

On Aug. 2, city voters rejected 1,197-1,309 a .51-mill, 20-year $6.55 million bond to construct a new station. A similar request was rejected by just six votes last November.

Mr. Pastue and Jody Egen, director of communications, culture and promotions for the city, met with The Monroe News to discuss the next step after two failed millage requests.

The failure of the most recent request caused some to scratch their heads because officials said this time the marketing campaign was targeted with a specific message and detailed information explaining the need for a station.

In addition, a site was selected and architectural plans were created, which were not available for the November election.

Fire Chief Rob Wight said the low voter turnout could have played a factor in the no vote. Only 17 percent of registered city voters cast ballots in the primary election.

"Until after the election, I didn't hear any negative comments about it," he said. "I don't know what the issues are. We had open houses and community conversations and it was all very positive so I think voter turnout could be an issue."

The chief said the department will continue to make repairs to the structure as needed. His top priority is the roof.