The vehicles were shipped from Port of Turku and reached the city earlier this month, and were taken delivery on Wednesday from Kamarajar Port Trust. The world's tallest aerial ladders (112 m) are being manufactured by Bronto Skylift, and the 104 m vehicles delivered here are the second tallest aerial ladder in the world.

These truck-mounted ladders were purchased at a cost of Rs 39.74 crore each from Finland-based firm.The purchased 104 m HLA can reach a maximum rescue height of 104 m, and the maximum working outreach will be 30 m.

The platform's safe working load is 500 kg while it can pump as much as 3,800 litres per minute, and requires 4 m height clearance for transportation. The state had already purchased a skylift of 54 m recently for Rs 5.97 crore recently.

The town also hired Port City Architecture to produce a preliminary design report, which included the cost estimate - a figure whittled down from a $5.1 million total rebuild.

"We're still working out the specific details, but (the project) will add 6 cents to the mill rate, as presented here tonight," Town Manager Bill Shane said, noting that the numbers are preliminary, and could possibly decrease when the project goes out to bid.

Since Town Council authorization for the funding is allowed in Cumberland, the project is not required to go to referendum, Shane added.

The expansion would take place next to the station, replacing a house the town purchased more than 20 years ago and has since used for sleeping quarters for emergency personnel.

After the house and the station's administrative section are demolished, a two-story addition would be built, along with a lower level accessed off a new 27-space parking lot. An existing parking lot with 22 spaces would remain.

The city received $94,000 from its automobile insurance provider for the ambulance and stretcher. But that's well short of the $197,000 cost of buying a new ambulance, the lowest price offered in a competitive bidding process.

City Manager William Bridgeo has proposed to take money from the city's unassigned fund balance account, an account built up with money budgeted but unspent in previous years, to cover the difference between what insurance paid for the wrecked ambulance and the cost of a new one.

Councilors at their meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday are scheduled to consider appropriating $121,000 from the fund balance to supplement the $94,000 received from the insurance company to buy a new ambulance and stretcher to replace those wrecked in the crash.

Also, councilors will be asked to take an additional $17,000 from the same fund balance account to supplement the $180,000 already budgeted to purchase another new ambulance. Bridgeo said the ambulance it will replace was scheduled to be replaced this year. However, the $180,000 budgeted wouldn't be enough to cover the actual cost of a new ambulance.

Bridgeo said there is adequate money in the fund balance account to cover the additional funds needed for both new ambulances and still leave enough money in the fund to cover other unanticipated expenses should any come up and remain within auditors' recommendations.

In order to quell the rumors, San Andreas Fire Protection District Chief Don Young called the newspaper. The truth, he said, is that the district has received a $642,522 grant toward the cost of purchasing a new fire engine. Fancy engines plastered with the names of distant cities have been visiting because the district is shopping. Manufacturers drove them here to show off their models.

Still, there is a breakup ahead. Rules for the grant require that the district will have to get rid of the current No. 165. Its open air jump seats don’t meet modern standards. Now, type 1 engines are required to have space in their cabs for four firefighters.