By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

When Alabaster firefighters traveled to Wisconsin to road test and pick up their new fire engine, they got an unexpected surprise.

“The company that built the truck was right outside of Green Bay, so we drove it by Lambeau Field during the road test,” Alabaster Fire Chief Jim Golden said on Jan. 2, a few days after the new truck went into service with the Alabaster Fire Department. “That was a neat experience.”

The city purchased the new Fire Engine No. 11 – along with about $600,000 worth of equipment for the Alabaster Public Works Department – with a $1.3 million loan the city took out in early 2013.

Golden said Engine No. 11 marked the first new fire truck for the city since 2007, and said the new truck replaced an aging 1996 fire engine.

“We’ve had significant repair costs on that (1996) truck over the years,” Golden said of the 17-year-old truck. “The new truck will be in service at Station No. 1, and that will allow us to place the 1996 truck into reserve status. It will still be used, it just won’t be as regularly as it is now.”

The city received the new fire truck in time for the Alabaster Christmas parade in early December, and used it to escort Santa Claus along the parade route. After outfitting and training with the new truck for a few weeks, the department placed Engine No. 11 into service on Dec. 29.

Golden said the department custom ordered the new fire engine after seeking input from a committee of the city’s firemen.

“They built it from the ground up according to our specifications,” Golden said. “We appreciate the mayor and City Council for approving the new truck. We are excited. It’s something that is going to be a great fit for the city of Alabaster.”

Golden said the department is planning a dedication ceremony for the new truck, and will announce the event’s date and time soon.