"It's kind of a unique situation, we're kind of in the dark a little bit," Buckingham said. "We have some leads that we're actively investigating."

Buckingham said there were no signs of a break-in at the fire hall. Police think the theft occurred within the span of a few days before the equipment was found missing. The theft likely occurred at night, he said. 

Some of the stolen equipment could be sold, he said. 

Buckingham said the fire department will rely on services from neighbouring departments in Vegreville and Vermilion until the equipment is found.

With an average 150 runs a month and more than 140,000 miles of firefighting on the previous 10-year-old ladder truck, a new one was needed to handle a Southside district full of apartments, hotels, homes and businesses along the Baymeadows Road corridor, Station 44 Capt. James Kountz said. So he revived a tradition of baptizing a new fire truck that dates back to the 1800s when firefighters used horse-drawn steam pumpers.

Jacksonville’s fire department has 58 stations with 51 engines, 12 ladder trucks and 41 rescue units, according to spokesman Tom Francis. The city’s fleet management division considers a fire truck’s age, mileage and cost to repair before a decision is made to replace it. That’s about 10 years of use for an engine, 15 for a ladder truck and five for a rescue unit. Many things can alter that life span.