SPENCER — The fire department welcomed a new member to its crew Thursday afternoon with the delivery of a brand new fire engine.

Two years of anticipation came to fruition the afternoon of Oct. 24 when the bright red apparatus was delivered from Charlotte, but there is still a bit of work and training to be done before she hits the road.

“We need to load the hose and the tools,” said Fire Chief Michael Lanning, “and then each of our crew from engineer up needs to complete at least 10 hours of driving before she’s ready. That’s what will take the bulk of the time,” but he is hopeful the new engine will be on the road by the first of the year.

It was a long time coming. The purchase contract was signed in October of 2022, because there was a 15 percent price increase coming that November. The total cost of the truck and equipment was $892,000, but the town used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay a $250,000 deposit. The balance is covered by a USDA loan. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has loans specifically for the support of development of rural areas, towns with fewer than 20,000 residents, and according to their website, loans can be used for “public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment.”

Lanning said the department’s current fleet include a 1995 engine and another truck that is a 2008.

“NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) codes recommend that you replace a truck every 10 years,” said Lanning, who added that the codes are recommendations, not requirements because “if every department followed them, every department would be bankrupt.” But he said the town’s trucks are truly aging out, and it was well past time to get a new engine.

In the past, he said there was something of a lack of vision for the department and in general, more of a take care of today attitude rather than planning ahead.

“But the town is growing, and the leadership has begun to understand that we have to look ahead,” he said. “I went to the council with a complete vision for the department going forward, and fortunately, they have been willing to invest in that vision.”

He did say they traded a few things on the new engine to get some upgrades, like the hand-painted front grill with the American flag, but he said they did not go “one penny over budget.” He also made sure to add the town’s name visibly on the front, back and sides of the truck. The front doors of the new engine carry the Spencer Fire Department logo, but the sides of the engine carry the bottom portion of the town’s logo, with the words “Spencer, North Carolina.”

Currently, the department has grown to encompass 10 full-time firefighters, eight part timers and five volunteers, but in the next five years, Lanning plans to either make the deputy chief position full time or add another chief’s position/fire marshal position that will give him two part time deputies.

“The next big thing is going to be expansion of the department building,” he said. “We have the design concept done, the problem is it’s an $11 million price tag, whether we build new or expand.”

But for now, one dream at a time. The entire department is “really excited” about the new engine, and everyone is already happily putting in time to get the equipment on board.

Residents will know when the new truck is coming. One of the upgrades the department chose is a train horn rather than the standard fire horn.

“I figured hey, we’re a town founded on trains, it made sense,” said Lanning, before giving a blast on the horn. “You’ll know we’re coming.”