The trucks, also called "patrols," can carry up to 200 gallons of water and 10 gallons of fire-resistant gel or foam. Traditional Type-A fire engines hold the same amount of gel, but carry up to 500 gallons of water.

The smaller vehicles, which have a cab like a large pickup, will be part of the first-response units at volunteer or reserve stations, Cal Fire San Diego Unit and County Fire Chief Tony Mecham said in a statement.

The smaller Type-6 trucks, custom-built for San Diego County, cost nearly $260,000 apiece, roughly half the cost of the full-size engines. The county's general fund will pay for two of the new trucks, and federal grant money will cover the other two.

When not dispatched to wildfires, the new vehicles -- which carry the same lifesaving equipment as the larger trucks -- will stay busy on everyday calls including traffic collisions, medical aid and building fires.

Almost $1.4 million was budgeted for the Mackinaw City station’s construction. As of May, officials reported spending close to $1.2 million on its development. The event will take place from noon-5 p.m. Tuesday, June 21. At 1 p.m., a formal ceremony will take place dedicating the building. The public is invited to attend the open house and the ceremony.

The borough offset about three-quarters of the project’s cost with a $345,000 state gaming grant awarded in early 2013.

Council plans to dedicate the facility to the late Councilman Salvatore Verrastro, who served from 2007 until he died Feb. 29

Verrastro was council’s liaison to the Fire Department, advocated for the renovation, worked with firefighters on a borough committee to buy a nearly $1 million firetruck, and wrote grants to get about $110,000 worth of new equipment for the department over the last few years.

The upgrades after several years of relative austerity during Dunmore’s budget crisis provided a psychological boost, firefighters said.